Saving My Brother
by Myra109
Summary: REWRITE! When Regulus Black is kidnapped from King's Cross by a stranger, his brother must rescue him no matter what it takes. Meanwhile, Reggie is imprisoned by the man and forced to subject to his torture everyday until his brother arrives- that is if he arrives. Will Sirius save his brother in time? Rape, abuse, attempted suicide, other warnings before chapters
1. Don't Wander Off

_This is the REWRITTEN version of Saving My Brother. Saving My Brother was my first story on this website, and I thought I could do so much better now. Tell me if I was right!_

 _ALSO, the Black family, as well as some other characters, are OOC. I wanted to redeem some characters because they're always seen as bad people when really, Rowling never told us what caused them to become bad. Therefore, I am writing how the Black family was before they became the people that practically chased Sirius out of the house and pressured Regulus into joining the Death Eaters._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: KIDNAPPING_**

* * *

"Geesh, Reg, let go of my shirt; you're embarrassing me," Sirius Black snapped at his younger brother, who currently had his sleeve gripped in his small fingers. "Now, I'm going to go find James. Go over by the water fountain and don't move."

"But Mother said we have to stick together," Regulus reminded him.

"What Mother doesn't know won't hurt her. Now, go, and don't wander off."

Regulus grumbled, but he, reluctantly, released his hold on his brother and dragged his trunk over to the water fountain. If it weren't Sirius, he would've pursued the arguement, but Sirius was his older brother, and he practically worshipped the ground he walked on; in their duo, Sirius was leader. And just like employees don't talk back to their boss (unless they want to get fired), Regulus didn't talk back to Sirius.

The young child sighed and plopped down on his trunk beside the steel water fountains, watching the enormous mass of people march past him; he followed his brother's retreating back until Sirius disappeared into the crowd. Now, all he has to do was sit here and wait.

"Hello, little fella," a voice interrupted the raven haired boy's thoughts. "What's your name?"

Startled by the sudden voice, Regulus jumped and whirled around to see a tall man standing behind him. He was in his late twenties, early thirties and had black hair pinned down by a baseball cap. His clothes were obviously Muggle and consisted of a red shirt, blue jeans, and a brown jacket that was left unzipped. At six foot, he didn't lack muscle, and he had tan skin. Under the shade of his hat, Regulus could see a hint of stubble on his chin and cheeks, along with a friendly smile and brown eyes that seemed to twinkle with kindness. All in all, he seemed like a pretty nice guy, but even at eleven (especially since he was born into a 'dark' family), Regulus knew better than to judge a person based on appearance.

The boy didn't reapond, so the man continued talking.

"I'm Johnathon. Where are your parents? A nice boy like you shouldn't be out here all alone."

Okay, that was majorly creepy, but this man obviously wasn't going to leave him alone until he got an answer. A little information, but not too much.

"My parents are around here somewhere, and they told my brother to watch me. He just went to fetch his friends before coming back to get me. Should be back any time now, actually," Regulus explained before pretending to scan the platform, knowing his brother couldn't have found his friends so fast at the crowded station.

"Well, that wasn't very nice of him. Sounds like he values his friends over his family."

"Yeah, he does," Regulus agreed, wistfully, before realizing that he was opening up and shut his mouth tight.

What are you doing, Black? He scolded himself. You don't open up to the creepy man at the train station. That's **not getting kidnapped 101** , as is running away!

At least he hasn't offered me candy yet, Regulus thought. If he did, I would've been gone.

"So, kid, you still haven't told me your name," Jonathan smiled, sitting beside Regulus on the trunk. "I told you mine, so now, you've gotta tell me your's."

Hesitating, the eleven year old answered, "Regulus."

He didn't offer anymore information because his parents had always told him not to talk to strangers, but they'd also told him to listen to his brother, and Sirius had told him not to move.

"Well, Regulus, if I were your brother, I wouldn't have left you all alone in a crowded train station. How about you come with me, and I'll help you find your brother?"

"Um, no, thanks. He told me not to move," Regulus declined.

"Come on, Regulus, what kind of person would I be if I left you in the middle of a train station, where you could be picked up by anybody?"

"I said no, and besides, Sirius should be here any- oh, there you are, Sirius!" He exclaimed, looking behind Johnathon.

Johnathon turned around, only to find empty air, and Regulus stood, running into the crowd. He'd come back for his trunk when Johnathon left.

He didn't get very far; Regulus was hoping he could disappear, but Johnathon found him, yanking him back towards the water fountains. No one even noticed, and if they did, they certainly didn't help.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere, boy," a cold voice snapped, and Johnathon tightened his hold around Regulus's midsection until Regulus couldn't even breathe. The frigid blade of a knife dug into his side, the sharp edge cutting his skin ever so slightly, just enough to draw blood.

"Now, unless, you want me to stab you and leave you to bleed out on the side walk, I suggest you come with me."

Regulus nodded, slowly. "Yes, sir."

Johnathon chuckled. "The sir was a nice touch. You are going to treat me like I'm your father or a relative. If you tip anybody off that I'm not, there won't be a tomorrow for you, kid."

Regulus nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And keep in mind, I saw your brother earlier. I've changed my mind; make one wrong move, and I won't kill you. I'll go after him and make you watch me slice your poor older brother to pieces."

Regulus felt slightly sick and the image invaded his brain, and forcing back tears, he nodded.

"Please, sir, I'll do anything. Just don't hurt Sirius."

Johnathon was so close to him, he could feel Johnathon's movements as he nodded.

"Good. Walk."

And Regulus was shoved into the crowd, the knife against his back, and he kept his eyes trained on the ground. The image of his brother dead and 'sliced to pieces' kept him from mouthing help or even looking up so that someone could see his tears and frightened expression.

Regulus Black, at age eleven, found himself traveling down a treacherous path that could either end his life or change it.

Maybe even both...

* * *

"James!" Sirius shouted for his best friend when he caught sight of the famous Potter hair standing out in the crowd.

He found himself laughing. The Potter hair was a lot like the Black family looks. Both traits were basically a neon sign reading 'Hello, there! I'm a Potter/Black!'

James turned, and the sunlight glinted off of his wire rimmed spectacles, his white teeth shining as he grinned.

"Hey, Sirius, long time, no see!" James tackled his best friend in an embrace, nearly sending both of them to the pavement. "I missed you, buddy."

"Me, too, pal."

"Hey, I already found Remus and Pete. They're over on the benches waiting for us."

The pair strolled over to their friends; Remus was reading his book (already!), and Peter was daydreaming. When Sirius and James were spotted, however, Remus dropped his book, and Peter snapped back to reality before embracing their friend.

"So, guys, we'd better find a compartment before they're all taken," Remus pointed out, but Remus, James, and Peter hadn't taken a single second before Sirius sighed and stopped them.

"Oh, man, wait. My brother's starting this year, and my parents made me promise I'd sit with him."

James and Peter slumped, slightly, but Remus nodded and assured him, "He can sit with us. Where is he?"

"I told him to wait by the water fountains while I came to get you."

"Um, Sirius, are you sure he's over there?" James frowned, peering over Sirius's shoulder.

"Yeah. He'd never disobey me, and he knows better than to wander off."

"Uh, Sirius... turn around," Remus said, nervously, as though waiting for an atomic bomb to go off.

The teenager spun on his heel and found that his little brother wasn't where he left him!

"That little git!" Sirius exclaimed before storming over to the water fountains. "He's gone."

"Sirius, is this his trunk?" Peter asked, gesturing to an abandoned school trunk.

Sirius knelt beside it and ran his fingers over the small name tag, identifying the trunk as Regulus Arcturus Black's.

"Yeah, so his trunk is here. Now, where's he?" Sirius demanded, scanning the crowd.

"The loo?" James suggested.

"Nah, he hasn't used a public bathroom since a guy molested him in the bathroom a few years ago."

(I assure you: normally, Sirius wouldn't give that information out, but these were his best friends. He told them literally everything... _almost_ everything, anyway)

"Really?"

"Yeah, long story. I'll tell you later, but right now, we need to find Reggie. If my parents find out I lost him, there will be one less Marauder."

Just then, as if the universe had heard him and listened, he caught sight of his brother's black hair and pale skin swimming in the sea of people. A scar barely peaked out from under his brother's hair, making the boy's identity unmistakable.

"Reggie!" He called. "Regulus Black, get your butt over here!"

Regulus stopped, and slowly, he turned to face his brother; Sirius saw him speaking, and for the first time, Sirius noticed a stranger gripping Regulus by the arm.

As soon as Regulus finished speaking, the stranger's eyes landed on Sirius.

And then, the stranger started running, dragging Regulus with him.

"No!" Sirius cried, startling his friends. "Reggie!"

The boy froze, causing the man to bump into him, and looked around, his terrified eyes zeroing in on Sirius once more.

He whispered something that Sirius couldn't hear over the noise of hundreds of people speaking at once, although it may have been _help me_.

The man stopped trying to drag Regulus through the crowd, and he spun Regulus around to face him before slinging him over his shoulder, knocking the wind out of Sirius's brother.

The man shoved people out of the way, pushing his way through the ocean of bodies, and Sirius broke into a run, followed by his friends.

"Stop!" Sirius screamed. "Stop him! He has my brother!"

Dozens of people stopped, allowing Sirius to push past them, but they were all puzzled and shocked; no one was calm enough to help.

Sirius didn't care; he plowed his way through, kicking and punching people who got in his way, forgetting manners entirely.

Regulus was crying by now, but he wasn't screaming; Sirius realized how must've been threatened. Otherwise, Regulus would've started screaming bloody murder by now.

The kidnapped sprinted through the entrance to Platform 9 and 3/4, and Sirius followed, barely stumbling as he forced his way through the column. Muggles gasped at his sudden appearance, but Sirius didn't even notice.

"Help me!" He shouted, flailing his arms to get the attention of a Muggle policeman (his parents didn't like Muggles, but they still informed Regulus and Sirius about certain things to avoid looking like idiots on the rare occasions that they went into the Muggle world). "Please. That man has my brother."

That got the attention of quite a few people. Muggles screamed; mothers pulled their children closer; security guards dashed after the kidnapper, but none as fast as Sirius.

The kidnapper skidded to a stop beside a simple black car and tossed open the door, tossing Regulus into the back of the car, before he hopped into the driver's seat.

"Regulus!" Sirius sobbed.

He vaguely heard Regulus cry out for him, but the car had already started and was currently speeding off.

"No!" Sirius screamed, and he halted, quickly, as the car nearly ran him over before whirling out of the parking lot and diappearing into traffic.

Sirius went to race after the car (currently his brother's prison) but a hand grabbing his collar stopped him.

A Muggle policeman was standing behind him, and Sirius struggled against his strong grip.

"What are you doing? He's getting away with my little brother!" Sirius hollered, twisting to try and escape the man's grip.

"Kid, you can't chase after a moving car. At least not for long. We're going to find your brother, but not by simply chasing him."

"But-"

"Kid, we're wasting time. If you do exactly as I say, we're going to find him, but arguing with me is not going to help," the man pointed out, firmly. "Now, tell me, where are your parents?"

Sirius knew he couldn't say Platform 9 and 3/4, but fortunately, he didn't even have to speak.

"SIRIUS!" His father yelled, appearing on the scene beside his mother.

"He took him, Father," Sirius explained, his voice shaking. "He took Reggie."

He cursed, silently. Why did he leave Regulus alone? He was eleven.

Eleven wasn't old enough for a lot of things. Drinking, sex, dating. Eleven was to young to be left alone in a crowded train staion, surrounded by strangers. Eleven was too young to feel abandoned. Eleven was too young to die.

"Who, Sirius? Who?" His father demanded, kneeling before his eldest and grabbing his upper arms, shaking him slightly.

"I don't know," Sirius whimpered, drops of water streaming down his cheeks.

"That's what we need to figure out," the Muggle policeman interrupted. "You must be their father."

Orion nodded, standing. Tears filled his eyes, but he refused to let them rain down his face. He had to be strong. For his wife. For his remaining son. He couldn't afford to break down. Not now.

He held out a hand. "Orion Black."

The officer shook Orion's hand, and for the first time in a long time, Orion didn't recoil from the touch of a Muggle.

"I'm Andrew Wilson. Let's go to my office, and I'll ask you some questions," he stated.

"Can my friends come to?" Sirius asked, trying to swallow the urge to fall to his knees and sob in grief.

James wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and Sirius felt like it was the only thing keeping him standing. His anchor.

Andrew smiled, and knowing the presence of his mates would keep Sirius calm during the difficult questioning, he nodded.

"Of course," the officer responded before escorting them to his office.

He sat behind an organized desk, and the six people sat in the chairs that had been brought in for them.

Andrew clicked his pen and touched it to a pad of paper.

"All right. Would it be okay if I asked you a few questions about Regulus?"

* * *

 _Chapter 1_

 _Status: completed!_

 _How many reviews can this story get? Help me reach my goal of 50 reviews or more for this story!_

 _Thank you for reading!_


	2. Siblings and Promises

_Hello. I've returned for chapter 2!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: KIDNAPPING, MOLESTATION_**

* * *

"Now, what are all of your names?" Andrew asked, clicking a pen and pressing it against his notepad.

"I'm Orion Black, and this is my wife, Walburga," Orion introduced. "This is our eldest child, Sirius. Our youngest, Regulus, was the one to be... taken," he said, practically having to force the word past the awful lump in his throat.

"These three are Sirius's friends, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew," Walburga took over, and for the first time in a very long time, there was no disdain in her voice. Her worry for Regulus overpowered her hatred of blood traitors.

"Can you tell me what Regulus was wearing last?" Andrew continued, jotting down a few notes as he spoke before his eyes darted up to meet theirs. As soon as they started talking, however, his eyes returned to the paper, and he started scribbling at an almost impossible speed.

"Well, he was wearing a black jacket over a green T-shirt with dark blue jeans and a pair of black and white sneakers," Walburga described.

Sirius was thankful they had to wear Muggle clothes to the platform (lest they draw unwanted attention); if Regulus had been wearing robes, he had no idea what they'd say.

"I have a picture from this morning," Orion offered, taking the picture from his pocket and when Andrew wasn't looking, he cast a spell to stop the movement of the photo before handing it to the officer.

"Now, is there any thing physically unique about Regulus, something that would make him more recognizable? Scars, birthmarks, and, while I hope the answer is no, tattoos?" Andrew humored, trying to lighten the atmosphere. It worked, slightly; some people gave small smiles, but the horrible tense and depressing mood rushed back rather quickly.

"No tattoos, no birthmarks," Sirius responded. "But he has a whole lot of scars. There's a burn on his left hip from when he got too close to the fire place when he was younger (even younger than he is, I mean)," Sirius's voice broke as he was reminded of a horrible fact:

Regulus was only eleven. And he could die.

Sirius took a deep breath and continued.

"He's got a bunch of small scars on his back from when he ran into a vase when he was little, and it fell on him. Reggie has some scars on his legs from the time we climbed a tree together, and the branch broke. He has a scar on his right upper arm and one on his shoulder from jumping off of a swing when he was seven. He also has a scar," Sirius swallowed, "on the back of his neck."

"Wow," Andrew said with a slight chuckle. "Sounds like Regulus is pretty clumsy."

"Yeah, we both are. Our parents say that our entire family is graceful, and we'd eventually grow into the grace, but until then, we just have to try not to get ourselves killed."

Killed. The word conjured up images of his baby brother buried in a shallow grave; the child he had sworn to protect hacked to pieces; his partner crime (before met James, anyway) covered in blood and his body cold. Silver eyes, wide open and empty...

Sirius shook his head before the awful images could pursue any further.

"Does your family have any enemies? Is there anyone who would want to hurt Regulus or hurt one of you?" Andrew asked, directing the question at Orion and Walburga.

"Well, we've ticked quite a lot of people off, but not to the extent that they'd go after our sons, much less our youngest. They could go after Sirius because he's our heir and will inherit the family business, our house, our money, everything. But going after Regulus? Not likely," Orion responded.

"Mom, Dad, wh-what about the man?" Sirius stammered, raw fear gleaming in his silver eyes.

It couldn't be... but somehow, Sirius knew it was.

His parents both snapped around to face him, fright shining in their gray orbs, gazing into their son's identical ones.

"No, i-it can't be hi-him," Walburga stuttered, tears springing to her eyes and making their way down her pale cheeks, smearing her make up.

"What man?" Andrew demanded.

Sirius trembled so badly, the officer was worried he might harm himself, but when the boy with the glasses (James? He thought) placed a hand on Sirius's arm, the boy calmed slightly. Not much, but enough to speak.

"When Regulus was younger, something bad happened to him," Sirius whispered, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"What, Sirius?"

Sirius didn't respond.

"Sirius, I want to help your brother, and I know you do, too. If we're going to find Regulus, I need you to tell me anything and everything. Every detail can help," Andrew urged.

Sirius took a shaky breath. "Okay..."

* * *

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Sirius-10**

 **Reggie-8**

 _"Siri, Siri, I have to use the bathroom!" Regulus complained._

 _Their parents had taken them to a nearby mall to shop. They rarely ever went to Muggle shopping places, but occassionally, when the two boys were getting rowdy cooped up in the house or when they needed clothes that they were allowed to get dirty, they made an exception._

 _They were currently getting lunch. Their parents were standing in line while Sirius and Regulus sat at their table, waiting for their return. Sirius's little brother had been complaining about having to use the bathroom for the past ten minutes._

 _Sirius sighed in exasperation. "Fine. Just be quick."_

 _Regulus nodded and dashed off to the nearby restroom while Sirius went to inform his parents of where Regulus had went, lest they notice his disappearance and panic over nothing._

 _Fifteen minutes later, their parents finally got their food, and Regulus still hadn't returned. Sirius wouldn't admit it, but he was becoming worried. The eight year old had never taken this long to use the bathroom, so what was keeping him?_

 _"I'll go get him," Sirius said to appease his slightly distressed parents. "There was probably just a long line."_

 _Honestly, Sirius didn't know who he was trying to convince: them or himself._

 _Sirius trudged over to the bathroom, an awful feeling growing in his stomach like an infection. Spreading and affecting every single part of his body at an incredibly fast pace. His legs unconsciously began to move faster._

 _He yanked on the door handle, only to find it locked. Huh, he didn't even know the locks for public restrooms locked._

 _Leaning against the door and pressing his ear flat against the wood, Sirius listened intensively and could just make out the sounds of someone crying and a low voice that did not belong to his brother._

 _That's when Sirius allowed his worry to take over and he freaked out; he withdrew a bobby pin from his pocket and wiggled it into the key hole, jiggling it around until he heard a click. He'd always been great at picking locks_

 _The ten year old opened the door and nearly screeched at the sight before him. His little brother was pressed against the ceramic tile of the wall while a much older man kissed him roughly. As if Sirius couldn't get any angrier, his rage escalated when he saw his hand in his sibling's pants._

 _Sirius saw red._

 _"Get the fuck away from him!"_

 _The young boy leapt onto the man's back, causing him to stumbled backwards and release Regulus; Sirius gasped in pain when he was slammed into the dividers between the stalls, his back smarting in an awful and incredibly painful manner. He could already feel the bruise forming, but he dug his fingers into the man's shirt and held on for dear life._

 _Finally, the man managed to pry Sirius's fingers off of him before dropping Sirius like a sack of potatoes and hitailing it out of there, pushing Sirius's shocked parents out of the way. They'd been worried when Sirius hadn't returned and come to find them; they'd only seen a portion of the events, but obviously, they'd noticed the fight and Regulus sobbing on the floor with his trousers unbuttoned and put the pieces together rather quickly._

 _Orion sprinted over to Sirius and lifted him up, placing the slender boy on his feet. Sirius faintly heard his father ask if he was okay, but when he caught sight of Regulus, everything else faded away._

 _His little brother had collapsed to the bathroom floor, sobbing so hard, Sirius was worried he might make himself sick. His trousers remained undone, and Regulus had his knees pulled to his chest as he pressed the left side of his body against the wall. It was like he was trying to get away from something, but he couldn't pry his body away from the wall, so he settled for trying to make himself as small as possible._

 _Sirius fought the urge to race after the man and make him sorry for what he did when he saw the dark contusions littering Regulus's arms and face and probably more under his clothing. Then, he noticed something on his sibling's neck, something that hadn't been there before._

 _Sirius knelt beside the small boy and reached for him, but he retracted his hand when Regulus jolted away._

 _The elder brother was persistent, though; he reached again and pressed his fingers against the back of Regulus's neck, trying to ignore the crushing pain throbbing in his breaking heart when Regulus flinched again. Flinched away from his brother, his best friend... heck, his only friend (unless you counted Kreacher)._

 _Sirius slowly raised his hand and showed his fingers to his parents watching as his mother covered her mouth to hold in her sobs, and his father's hands curled into fists and trembled with barely contained rage._

 _Blood. That bastard had cut his little brother's neck, on top of molesting him. Who knew how this would've ended had Sirius not chosen that moment to walk into the bathroom?_

 _Orion lifted his youngest child into to his arms, and the next thing that registered in Sirius's mind was staring through a window at a hospital as his baby brother was examined._

 _Why Reggie? Why did it have to be him, of all people?_

 _Even on his deathbed, Sirius never found the answer._

 ***FLASHBACK OVER***

"The man was never caught, and Reggie was never the same after that," Sirius muttered, his voice breaking several times. "For months, he didn't want to be touched, to be hugged. He isolated himself for weeks, not leaving his room at all. Mum left food outside the door, but he rarely ate, and when he did, he didn't eat much. I could tell he wasn't sleeping either. I heard him crying every singly night, sometimes screaming. I tried to help the first few days; we all did, but he wouldn't let us in. D-Do you think that this man took Reggie to finish what he started three years ago?"

"We don't know for sure, Sirius, but we are going to do everything within our power to find your brother. That, I can promise you," Andrew replied, wording his response carefully. He knew better than to promise Sirius that he'd bring Regulus home alive, or even home, at all.

Rule number one: don't make promises you can't keep.

Sirius couldn't take it anymore; his tears broke free, and he was sobbing into his dad's chest while his friends tried to comfort him.

But they couldn't comfort him. Sirius wouldn't be comforted until Regulus was home and safe.

They didn't understand; they kept saying it wasn't his fault, but it was. He'd left Reggie alone, and now, that man could be beating or raping or God knows what to his little brother.

Sirius would never seen it aloud, but when he thought of it like that, he almost wished the man would kill Regulus. He'd rather have a dead brother than a broken one; at least, Reggie would be happy in heaven.

Sirius stopped that train of thought in its tracks, but he didn't deny having the thought, nor did he deny that it was true.

Don't worry, Reggie, he thought. I'll find you and bring you home. I promise.

And Sirius always kept his promises.

And several miles away, a small boy, tied up in the back seat of a car, thought to himself: I'll come home, Siri. I promise.

And like Sirius, Regulus always kept his promises.

* * *

James didn't have a brother, at least not in blood. He had Remus, Peter, and Sirius, and they were family to him, but he didn't have a little brother.

Still, he could only imagine the protective nature an elder brother would have. He'd often dreamed of having a baby brother, but he would never understand the protective worry and rage and anger and blame.

He may not understand it, but he's seeing it.

He saw it when Sirius realized his brother's trunk was where he'd left it, but his brother was no where to be found.

He saw it when Sirius shoved his way through hundreds of people to get to his baby brother.

He saw it during questioning.

He heard it in Sirius's voice when he told the story of what had happened to Regulus three years ago.

A sibling relationship is a special thing; that much, he knows. Siblings can hate each other for years; they can fight, break bones, push each other around, steal from one another, get the other in trouble. And yet, in the end, they'll always come back to each other, regardless of any previous arguments.

A sibling would run into a burning house for their brother or sister. They'd stand in front of a serial killer if it meant protecting their sibling. They'd hurt; they'd kill; they'd go to jail. And it's because... siblings are family.

James always believed when a younger sibling of your's was born, you were given a duty to shield the younger from harm. It's just what big brothers and sisters do. You can succeed or you can fail; there's no gray area.

But Sirius hadn't failed. Not yet. And he wouldn't fail unless he gave up.

And James Potter knew Sirius Black well enough to know that he wouldn't.

* * *

 _What did you think of James's point of view? I got the idea when I saw my cousins arguing, and I thought... an explanation of a sibling relationship would be perfect for this story. After all, it is true, even if several people won't admit it (ahem, my cousins)_

 _Remember, the goal is 50 reviews or more! Thanks for reading._


	3. Hide and Seek

_Hello! Here's the third chapter (I know, it must be state the obvious day)._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: KIDNAPPING, MENTIONS OF MOLESTATION, AND ATTEMPTED RAPE_**

* * *

Bump! Bump! Bump! The car rolled through the intersection, the bitter scent of burning rubber filling the air, mixing with the nauseating smell of car exhaust. Red lights passed in a blur, almost never green; Johnathon dangerously clipped other vehicles, the drivers of which honking and cussing.

People payed attention to the reckless driver in the front seat, thinking he was a jerk, in a hurry, or both.

None of them suspected that a small boy- the same age as some of their own children- was tied up in the back seat.

Yet, there Regulus Black was, his ankles bound together and his arms tied to his sides; a blindfold covered his silver eyes, and salty tears stuck to the cloth. He sat on the floor with his back against the right hand door, feeling it connect painfully with his back during every bump; as Johnathon swerved, Regulus was rammed into the leather seats on either side of him.

He shuffled about, the ropes scratching against his delicate skin and surely leaving marks, maybe even bruises; if the ropes weren't removed soon, Regulus would be left with quite a lot of rope burns.

Johnathon never glanced back at him; he was too busy slamming his foot on the accelerator in order to escape the police officers that would surely be on their tail soon if he didn't hurry.

Regulus didn't know how far they were from the train station, and he had long since given up on counting the seconds that passed. At times, seconds became milliseconds as the world rushed past Regulus, too fast for him to comprehend; other times, the seconds stretched into hours. The world had slowed to a crawl, his mind in too much of a jumble to catch up with the recent events. He wasn't sure which version of time he liked more.

During the drive, they'd stopped only once- at a gasoline station, where Johnathon had bound and blind folded his eleven year old captive and filled the tank. After that, Johnathon had wasted no time before peeling out of the parking lot, heading to God knows where.

He wanted to go home. He wanted Sirius...

Wham! The car stopped with its brakes screeching and propelling the child forward, nearly tossing him into the opposite door. If Regulus hadn't been able to plant his feet firmly on the floor, he'd have been tossed into that door and cracked his head open like an egg.

The young Black heard a click and the pressure left his back as the car door was opened; he stiffened, ready to escape. He planned to headbutt the man and throw his entire weight against Johnathon until he was knocked unconscious. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Johnathon dragged Regulus out of the car before lifting him bridal style, giving Regulus no time or opportunity to escape. Regulus blindly fought against his attacler, but Johnathon ignored the futile attempts at escape and the child's screaming; wherever they were, no one was around to hear the poor boy cry out for help.

"Help me, please!" Regulus screeched. "PLEASE! I've been kidnapped! Help!"

He felt his small body being laid down on a soft, carpeted floor, but he didn't stop his kicking and thrashing.

"Shut up, kid!" Johnathon hissed. "I'll unite you if you stay quiet."

Regulus obeyed, freezing and staying as still and silent as possible; his chances of escape escalated if he was free from the wretched bonds. Besides, if no one had heard him shouting before, they probably wouldn't now.

Regulus felt the ropes loosen before slipping off of his slender frame. The child prepared to swing a fist towards his captor (assuming he could hit him with the blindfold on) when he heard a BANG! and a click. Lifting his arms, Regulus touched his finger tips against something hard above him, which cut off any possible escape routes.

Regulus burst into hopeless tears. He was locked in a trunk.

Removing his blindfold and, once again, coming face to face with pitch blackness, Regulus felt the surface below him begin to vibrate. Oh, no, now where were they going?

In the back of his mind, negative thoughts began to creep in, despite his attempts to lock them in a box in the darkest, farthest corner of his brain.

I'm going to die...

I'm never going to see Mommy and Daddy again or...

I'm never going to see Sirius again...

There was so much he hadn't done. He'd wanted to become an author or an artist when he was older. He'd wished to leave England, to actually see the world instead of simply staring at the four walls of his bedroom until he died. He'd longed to have children, to know what it was like to be a father; he'd wanted to prove to people that just because his parents weren't the best at parenting didn't mean _he_ couldn't be a good parent.

Now, he wouldn't even get to attend Hogwarts!

Regulus started bawling, and he didn't stop.

* * *

Regulus didn't know when he fell asleep, but right now, he was cursing himself for it. He'd been trying to keep track of time in the trunk, which was no easy feat, but eventually, his eyelids had begun to droop and he'd slipped into slumber.

A while after, he was awakened by a sharp pain in his ribs as he was thrown over Johnathon's shoulder. Tiny hands beat against the back of a man twice his size while his sneaker clad feet kicked the person's chest. A smirk graced his face when he realized how much trouble Johnathon was having trying to carry a fiesty kid.

Regulus stared at the ground as he was carried up some steps, his body bouncing uncomfortably with each uneven step. The pavement became hard wood; the house was fairly dark, yet as the boy was carried down a flight of stairs and into another room with no windows (probably a basement), the only light came from the doorway.

He heard a door open, and he was carried through a doorway.

Where was this man-

Ow! Regulus thought as he was dropped onto a thin mattress and feeling the beginnings of soreness spreading through his body. And here, I thought mattresses were supposed to be soft.

The child winced in pain as he slowly sat up. Yeah... that was going to bruise in the morning.

BOOM! The heavy, steel door to the room slammed shut, leaving its occupant in darkness.

Although Regulus would never admit it, he was scared- no, terrified. What person wouldn't be? He didn't know what they were going to do with him. Would they kill him? Hold him for ransom? Beat him senseless?

Why did this have to happen to me? Regulus thought, choking back tears. What did I ever do to anyone?

With that final thought, Regulus drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _"Reggie!" A voice shouted, and Regulus was lifted into the thin arms of a young boy. Familiar arms._

 _"Siri," he whispered, not quite believing this was happening as he locked his arms around his elder brother._

 _"I'm so glad you're safe," Sirius gasped, nearly sobbing in relief._

 _"I missed you," Regulus mumbled, his voice trembling._

 _"I missed you, too, but Reg, you have to listen. This is a dream, and we'll wake up any second. Do you know where he took you?" Sirius demanded._

 _Regulus shook his head. "He tied me up for the first half of the trip and kept me in the trunk for the second. But I do know that he is keeping me in the basement of a house."_

 _Regulus watched as rage flared in Sirius's steely gray eyes as he pulled away, but luckily, the older boy suppressed it._

 _"Okay, do you know anything about your captor?" Sirius questioned._

 _"He said that his name is Johnathon, and he lives at least half an hour away from the train station."_

 _"Good, Reggie. And don't worry. We've got the Aurors and the Muggle police out looking for you, along with several search parties. We will find you," Sirius assured him._

 _"I know, Siri," Regulus said, trying to put on a brave face. "After all, you always found me when we played hide and seek when we were little; let's just think of this as a big game of hide and seek. Okay, big brother?"_

 _Sirius, tears filling his eyes, nodded. "Yeah. Hide and seek."_

 _Suddenly, Sirius began to rapidly fade, and Regulus felt his older brother turning into nothing but air in his grasp._

 _"Hang on, Reggie! We will find you!"_

 _"I love you!" Regulus called._

 _"I love you, too, little brother."_

* * *

Regulus's silver orbs opened before he flinched at the sudden bright light. A shadow leaned over him, but Regulus's eyes hadn't quite adjusted yet, and therefore, he could only make out the person's outline.

"Looks like our little prince is awake," a new voice stated, cheerfully, and Regulus could hear the grin in his voice. "And what a handsome, little bugger he is."

Regulus put forth all his effort into wiping his face clean of emotion. He forced himself not to widen his eyes; he commanded his hands to stop shaking; he bit his lip to prevent it from trembling. The only sign of fear was the shaky breath he inhaled.

He recognized that voice...

The figure came into focus, revealing a fairly tall person with a slender frame and pale skin that suited the brown hair atop his head. He had some light colored hair poked out from the skin on his face, probably resulting from a few days without shaving. Square, iron framed glasses were perched on the bridge of his long, narrow nose that rested between two, beady blue eyes.

This was the man that had molested him three years ago.

"Been a long time," Regulus said, keeping his voice flat.

Crying wouldn't help anything. Begging would not convince the man to back off. Screaming would do no good. All he could do was hope to keep the man talking and find some detail that would help him.

The man grinned. "Indeed it has."

"So... do you have a name? I'm getting tired of calling you the man in my head," Regulus asked.

The man laughed. "Name's Trent. And you're Regulus."

Regulus nodded, stoically.

"That's a nice name. After a constellation, right?"

"Just a star," Regulus corrected. "In the constellation Leo."

"The heart of the lion, " the man chuckled, lightly, brushing aside some of Regulus's hair. "It suits you."

"Thank you," Regulus said, sarcasm dripping from the words. "Complimented by the man who molested me and is probably about to rape me. That's something you don't see everyday," he growled.

Trent just smiled. "Finally, a break from the stoic look, although that just makes this even more exciting."

Trent reached for the buckle on his pants.

With a yell, Regulus kicked Trent between the legs, watching as his face crumpled in pain; Trent fell to his knees.

Regulus hasn't gotten a chance to truly examine the room yet, so he grabbed the first thing he could reach: a bucket.

Then, he clobbered Trent over the head with it.

Trent fell forward and did not get up.

Regulus kicked him once for good measure before rifling through the man's pockets and finding a set of keys.

After two unsuccessful tries (Regulus didn't even know a chain could hold so many darn keys!), Regulus heard a satisfying click as he inserted the correct key into the lock and turned it.

Regulus tossed open the door, slamming it behind him and locking it before dashing up the steps.

He'd forgotten about Johnathon.

Regulus had his hand on the doorknob when an excruciating pain took over his body, causing him to topple to the ground, his spine twisting as he tried to escape the Cruciatious curse.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted. A few seconds felt like hours; it could've been two minutes or sixty. He didn't know.

Finally, the curse was lifted, and Regulus didn't have the strength to move a muscle, much less outrun a grown man.

Hands grabbed him, and he was thrown over a shoulder.

Regulus yelped, his voice hoarse and every pore singing with a different degree of unbearable pain.

"I'm sorry," he choked. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry ain't good enough, kid," Johnathon stated, heading for the basement door.

Regulus kept repeated the phrase 'I'm sorry' over and over again, and by the time Johnathon opened the heavy door, he wasn't even sure who he was apologizing to, anymore. Sirius, Johnathon, Trent, God...

Himself?

* * *

 _Do me a favor and help me reach my goal of 50 reviews by just typing a few words into the review box below. Thank you for reading!_


	4. Two Brothers, Two Sisters

_I've returned with another great chapter (actually, this chapter isn't my favorite, but it's an important building block, so...) Anyway, I **hope** it's great. Make sure to review and tell me if it was._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: LANGUAGE, KIDNAPPING_**

* * *

Sirius bolted upright in his seat, surprising his three friends.

He was breathing, heavily, as the truth set in. He'd seen him; he'd seen Reggie.

He silently thanked God and Merlin and everything Muggle and Magical for this single blessing.

Now, if only they could aid him in finding Reggie and returning the both of them home. Alive.

After the questioning, his parents had forced him to get on the train, saying it'd be better if he was safe at Hogwarts (he also caught the unspoken _out of the way)_. Who knew if this man was targeting both Sirius and Regulus?

Sirius was the only one convinced that he wasn't. This was The Man. He didn't care about Sirius; he only wanted Regulus.

"Are you okay, Sirius? You look a little... well... shaken up," James said, trying to choose his words, carefully. He seemed to realize what a stupid question that was when Sirius turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm sorry, James, if I'm a little shaken up after my brother just got kidnapped. And on top of that, I'm getting shipping back to Hogwarts, and they won't even let me search for him!" Sirius yelled. "And Evans, Snape, I know you're spying on us, so just come in, would ya?"

The compartment door slid open, revealing Lily Evans and Severus Snape, both with solemn and sympathetic expressions.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Lily whispered, trying to calm the hot headed boy. "It's just... we know what happened to your little brother, and we're worried about you."

"Worried about me?" Sirius exclaimed. "Since when is Lily Evans worried about anyone but herself?!"

"Hey, don't talk to her that way!" James jumped to the defense of his long time crush, his anger flaring up like a red flag.

"Well, it's the truth, James, and you know it," Sirius growled. "She's friends with Snivillus! Doesn't that say something about her personality?"

"No, it doesn't!"

Just before a full out row could begin, Severus intervened, "Hey. Just give me a moment alone with Black? I need to tell him something."

"If you're going to tell him what a git he's being- which I don't blame you, but still- then, you can take your insults and shove them up your-"

Remus interrupted James. "That isn't a good idea, Snape," he said, hastily.

"I agree with- wait. Are you going to tell him _the_ story?" Lily said, her eyes wide with realization.

At Severus's nod, she yanked James and Remus out the door by their wrists while beckoning for Remus to follow. With one last anxious glance between the two enemies, he trailed after the fiery redhead.

As soon as the compartment door slid shut, Severus turned around and said, right off the bat, "I've never like you, Black."

"Feeling's mutual, Snape," Sirius scowled.

"I'm going to ignore that since you're grieving. I've never told you why I didn't like you, have I?"

"Nope, and I really don't care why," Sirius snapped.

He knew he was being a jerk, but a part of him felt that he had a right. He was backed into a corner; his brother was in a huge amount of danger, and it was all his fault. He was in a foul mood because of it; sue him.

"Well, you should because the reason has something to do with your brother."

That caught Sirius's attention. He spun away from where he'd been staring out the window to face the Slytherin, shock evident in his wide, gray eyes.

"What?" He demanded.

Severus smiled, bitterly. "That got your attention. Anyway, I saw you at King's Cross on the day we went home for the Winter Holidays during our first year. Your little brother-who looked so much like you, by the way- raced up to you and hugged you, screaming your name in excitement. And you pushed him away, saying you were embarrassed of him. You reminded me of two sisters I know.

"One of them was named Petunia. She was average looking with brown hair and blue eyes and a humongous jealousy problem. Petunia was always jealous of her little sister, Lily, who is standing outside. Lily had it all: the looks, the brains, the talent, and, as time went on, the magic.

"I watched Petunia push Lily away; I'm their neighbor, you see. And then, one day, my dad marched into the house with Petunia thrown over his shoulder. She was screaming and kicking, telling him to let her go. He didn't; instead, he threw her into the basement and didn't let her out."

At this, Severus looked away from Sirius and focused on the ground, looking almost ashamed.

"My father is... not a nice person, if you couldn't tell. He's an abusive, unstable alcoholic, and... I'm ashamed to call him my father. I was much younger when this happened, and... I was afraid of my dad. At this point, I still loved him, enough to keep my mouth shut about what happened with Petunia.

"About three days later, my dad left on a business trip, and I tore our house apart looking for the key to the basement. Once I found it, I unlocked the door and let Petunia out; she went home. I got beaten for it, but it was worth it. My dad hadn't gone down there in those three days, and I try not to think about what would've happened to her when he finally did go down there after his business trip.

"A few days afterward, I went to see how Petunia was doing, and I discovered that... her family hadn't even noticed she was gone. Not even Lily; now that she knows the story, she still feels guilty about it. Anyway, Petunia treated Lily worse than ever; I remembered hearing a story of how Lily was out thirty minutes past curphew and her parents freaked out when they hadn't noticed Petunia missing for three days.

"I can understand why she treated Lily the way she did, but when she called Lily a freak, I lost all sympathy for her.

"When I saw you push your little brother away, I thought of how much you'd regret that in a few years. Lily took Petunia for granted; she almost lost her, and then, Petunia was so angry, she couldn't stand Lily anymore. Petunia and Lily didn't talk all summer, even though they live in the same house.

"Somehow, I knew that if you didn't learn to appreciate your brother, you'd end up the same way."

"Is that story true, Snape?" Sirius asked, glancing at the door.

"100%. Ask Lily if you don't believe me," Severus replied.

"Snape, you helped Petunia even though she treated Lily like that. Why?"

"No one deserves to be taken from their family, their home. It just isn't right," Severus said, almost whispering the words. The words held so much truth that it turned Sirius's stomach.

And he agreed. 110%. (Even though that technically wasn't possible, but you know, who cares about technicalities?)

"Sn-Severus, even though I've treated you like dirt, would you let... bygones be bygones and help me find my brother?"

Asking for help was like a dagger to the gut; Sirius will admit it. He was independent, prideful... maybe he was a Slytherin in some ways.

Nah...

(He really is, but he won't admit it)

"Of course, Sirius. I don't know what that man is doing to him, and I'm not sure I _want_ to know, but I will not put a child's innocence and life at risk because of a pity rivalry. If there's one thing I learned from my parents, it's that fighting won't solve anything."

Sirius was surprised by how wise Sna-no, Severus sounded right then. Maybe Snape wasn't just a big nosed, greasy haired snake. Maybe he was more like Sirius than they were willing to admit.

Nah...

(Once again, they really are, but Sirius refuses to admit it)

"Okay, let's invite the others back in here. I have a plan," Sirius announced, determined.

"Should I be scared?"

"Probably. There's a reason Remus never let's me make the plans."

"Oh, great," Severus muttered, sarcastically, but didn't try to stop Sirius.

He didn't think anything could stop him, honestly.

* * *

Miles away from the Hogwarts Express, a young boy screamed at the top of his lungs.

Pain burnt through his body. Acid raced through his veins, and broken glass swirled in his blood, slicing up his organs and veins. His bones were being ground into dust; his hair was being yanked out in chunks; swords were driving themselves into every single pore of his skin, tearing the muscles to shreds.

None of this left a physical mark. The Cruciatious Curse never did.

It was the fifth time Trent had put Regulus under the curse. Or was it the tenth? Regulus was in so much pain, he couldn't remember anymore.

And Trent was laughing. Laughing as Regulus sobbed, pleading for mercy, pleading for _death_.

Where are you, Siri? I need you. Please come find me.

Little did Regulus Black know, his brother would be on his way to do exactly that in less than an hour.

Regulus eventually passed out from pain, and when he woke up, Trent was gone.

Regulus sighed in relief before his eyes focused on the door.

His eyebrows knit together as he frowned, and just as he was about to push the question away, a closer look forced him to reconsider it.

Regulus climbed to his feet, wincing in pain but thankfully, remaining on his feet.

He pulled on the handle, and the door shifted with a slight groan.

The door was unlocked.

No way.

He pulled harder, and the door slid open.

Holy shit.

Regulus threw the door the rest of the way open and sprinted up the stairs.

Even if this was a trick, he had to try. As fear coursed through his body, he tried to focus on the adrenaline pumping through his system instead, the adrenaline that would lead him out the door and back to Sirius if he used it, properly.

Skidding to a halt, Regulus opened the unlocked basement door and slid out of the small opening.

No one was there.

Regulus glanced around the corners, scanning the kitchen and living room and finding both empty. Then, he made a break for the door.

Bursting through the doorway, he raced toward the woods, listening as the screen door banged shut behind him.

This was all too good to be true, but even if it was a trick, he'd been brave enough to try.

Sirius would be proud.

Regulus's feet slammed against the ground; his blood was pounding in his sars, and his heart was thundering in chest, threatening to burst out at any second.

He could see a fence. It was so close...

Regulus skidded across the leaves until he was before the fence, but then, he got a weird feeling in his gut. It was like when he chose to sneak out of his house on the Friday after Sirius started Hogwarts.

When he returned, he found the house trashed and discovered that his brother had been sorted into Gryffindor.

His dad had gotten drunk, and when he was intoxicated, he often had a hard time telling his children apart.

If Regulus had been home and Orion had mistaken Regulus for Sirius... it would not have been pretty.

Regulus picked up a stick and chucked it at the fence.

He watched in horror as the electricity arced across the fence, frying the poor stick until it was black; the tortured object toppled to the earth, smoking.

That could've been him...

Footsteps sounded from behind him.

Regulus spun around and saw Johnathon racing towards him with a smirk on his face and some kind of weapon his hands. It looked like a gun.

Regulus turned away from the fence and dashed in the opposite direction as Johnathon.

Jonathon brought him in here, and if there was a way in, there had to be a way out.

The footsteps drew closer, a second set joining them, and Regulus ran faster.

Of course, that exit would be extremely hard to find with his kidnappers on his heels.

* * *

 _What'd you think? I know Snape is OOC, but keep in mind that this was before the bitterness truly set in. That really doesn't happen until his fifth or sixth year._

 _Remember the number one rule of fanfiction:_

 _If you have something to say, review! (Unless it's pointless **flames**. In which case, get off my page please)_


	5. Be Brave

_Hello, everyone! (Why do I put these author's notes here? I don't have anything to say...)_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

"Sirius, Severus, have you two lost your minds?"

"Nope. Just him," Severus replied, trying to sweep his long hair out of his pale face as he looked at Lily with a look she'd never seen before. Eyes holding a mixture of fear and excitement, he grinned for the first time in what seemed like forever to Lily, which was very strange. I mean, seriously, who smiles when they're about to jump off of a train?

"You guys can't do this! What if you don't make it?" James screamed over the howling wind.

 _That's a first- James Potter thinking, rationally_! Lily thought with utter shock. Most of the time, Sirius seemed to be more sensible than James, but now, whatever sense Sirius had had gone out the window.

Sirius turned to stare at them. He and Severus were balancing on the platform between the train cars. Grasslands raced by; the fields might cushion the fall, but at this speed, the impact would be dangerous and possibly deadly. Especially if they landed on their heads or necks.

The eldest Black sibling glared in determination and bent his knees.

"At least use a broom!" James shouted.

Sirius sighed, "You're the only one that has a broom, James. Bellatrix broke mine over the summer, so my parents were going to send me a new one before Quidditch season. I don't have one, and neither does Severus."

"Severus?" Peter muttered.

What had happened in that compartment?

"Look, he's my brother, and I'm going to find him if it's the last thing I do!"

Sirius prepared to leap off of the platform, but Remus interrupted him.

"Wait! There's no way-"

 _Yeah, Remus! Tell them to get off of there_ , Lily thought.

"-I'm letting you two idiots do this by yourselves."

 _Yeah... wait, what?_

Lily watched in shock as Remus climbed onto the platform beside Sirius and Severus. After a moment of hesitation, Peter joined him.

"Has everyone long their minds?" James yelled in exasperation.

"Is James the only one with sense anymore?" Lily agreed.

James Potter thinking sensibly, and Lily Evans agreeing with James Potter...

This had to be some kind of alternate universe. It just had to be. What was going to happen next? Would it literally start raining cats and dogs?

James cursed under his breath before turning to Lily.

"If we can't stop them, we're going to have to go with them. Trust me, when Sirius gets an idea in his head, nothing-not even Merlin himself- will stand in his way."

Lily saw his point. Icy fear seeping into her heart, she climbed onto the platform with James right behind her.

"How are we gonna do this?" James asked.

"It's easy: jump and fall. Whatever you do, keep your head towards the sky and don't land on your feet," Sirius replied.

Lily was surprised to see that Sirius did not look afraid at all. Not one shard of apprehension was present in Sirius's gaze. Either Sirius was amazing at hiding his emotions, or he was so determined and so desperate, he forgot to be afraid.

Before anyone could say a word, Sirius hurled himself off of the Hogwarts Express.

Remus flinched before leaping after Sirius, Severus right behind him.

After a moment of hesitation, Lily, Peter, and James propelled themselves off of the speeding train, their screeching lost in the wind.

Lily collided with the ground, breathing heavily and staring at the sky. It was only then that a sweaty hand was clenched in her own equally soaked one.

James either didn't notice or was too distracted to care that Lily Evans was holding his hand.

"Sirius... Orion... Black," he gasped from where he laid beside his best friend (a few more inches, and he would've landed on top of the Black heir). "What on earth were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking of ways to save my brother," Sirius replied, cooly, standing as though he hadn't just thrown himself off of a train going at least 90 miles an hour, maybe more.

"And you risked your own life," Lily snapped, her green eyes smoldering.

"I'd do anything for my little brother," Sirius whispering, looking vulnerable for the first time since Regulus had been kidnapped.

He turned and went to help Remus stand.

James raised an eyebrow before staring at their locked hands and blushing a bright crimson.

Lily's own skin tone was now scarlet, and she unlatched her hand from James's.

Trying to pretend that that hadn't happened, James said, "I'm surprised he cares so much for his brother. I mean, he never mentioned Regulus. In fact, I didn't even know that he had a brother until Christmas break in our first year when Regulus ran up to him."

Lily stared at him in shock and confusion. "Why?"

"Whenever someone mentioned Sirius's family, he shut down. Therefore, I never asked."

The hazel eyed boy strolled over to the four other teens with a perplexed redhead trailing after him. They stood aide by side, watching the train disappear into the distance.

"So... what now?" Peter asked.

"Now, we find Reggie," Sirius announced, leaving no room for arguement.

The question was... how?

* * *

A scream split through the air, followed by the crackling of leaves under racing feet and the snap of twigs as they connected with limbs moving too fast.

Regulus Black- decorated with cuts and scratches, oozing crimson blood, and purple and black bruises- dashed through the woods. Branches tore his skin as he crashed into them, choosing to run into them and suffer a few injuries whether than waste precious time avoiding them.

Something whizzed past his head, missing his skin by mere inches.

"Get back here, slut!" Trent shouted.

Two pairs of footsteps were drawing closer as Regulus's energy drained. He'd escaped the house when the sun was still high in the sky, and now, it had set; the skin was a hazy blue color that came immediately after sunset. He'd been running for at least six hours, ducking into hiding places, occassionally, to regain his lost energy before he'd started bolting again.

He could only pray dark came soon; it would provide him with permanent cover until the sun rose. As far as he knew, Johnathon and Trent didn't have night vision. They wouldn't be able to see only going by the light of the moon; if he made no noise, he might be able to hold out until they were exhausted enough to go sleep and leave him out there for the rest of the night. Then, he'd have enough time to find a way to escape or to at least make a decent plan.

Regulus ducked behind a tree, pressing his back flush against the bark.

Please, he prayed, silently. Please.

Blood dripped down his forehead and cheeks from numerous cuts and scrapes, including a worryingly deep one on his right cheekbone. A few tears had streamed down his skin, creating sticky tracks in the dirt and grime and scarlet on Regulus's skin.

He'd stopped crying long ago. Crying wouldn't solve anything. Crying stole his breath, and he needed as much oxygen as possible if he wanted to run any farther.

With shaking legs, Regulus detached his back from the tree, despite the awful feeling churning in his gut and the sudden silence that seemed even louder than the crashing footsteps.

"AHHH!" Regulus cried out.

He stumbled through the bushes, a heaviness taking over his limbs and pulling him down towards the earth. Pain coursed through his entire body, throbbing and dulling to a numbness that scared Regulus even more than the excruciating pain. He felt like his thigh had exploded, and a numbness was spreading down his calf and slowly reaching its fingers towards his waist.

The numbness was so great, he wasn't even sure if he was moving his legs anymore.

He took a step and fell to the ground, unable to move.

For a moment, he could've sworn he saw Siri kneeling over him, smiling, brightly.

"Come on, Reggie," he was urging, laughing. "Get up, lazy bones."

"Can't," Regulus responded, weakly.

"Of course you can. Come on. Mum said be home by dinner, or she'll have our heads."

"But-"

"Come on, Reggie. It's time to go home."

Regulus pressed his palm against the earth, and slowly, he began to push himself up.

Before he could lift his body off of the ground, however, Sirius vanished, and Trent was there, reaching for him.

"No," Regulus murmured.

The world went black.

* * *

When Regulus awakened for the first time, he saw Sirius again.

Sirius chuckled as he sat on the mattress beside Regulus.

"What... funny?" Regulus muttered, his voice sounding as though he were speaking through a mouthful of cotton. The funny sounded like bunny, and this only made Sirius laugh harder.

"Regulus, you need to get up," Sirius urged. "Come on, you've slept long enough."

And Regulus tried. He tried to shove himself into a sitting position, but he couldn't even support himself on his elbow.

"Can't," he mumbled, and to his embarrassment, tears began slipping down his face.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Now, none of that."

His big brother reached over and brushed away the drops of salt water.

"Crying won't solve anything."

Regulus nodded, slowly.

"Siri... want go home," Regulus whispered, brokenly.

Sirius's smile dropped.

"I know, baby brother," he said. "Just be strong for a little bit longer, okay. Can you do that?"

Regulus nodded.

"Pinky promise?"

Regulus smiled, softly, and he nodded.

"Pink... y... prom-ise," he agreed, his speech getting worse.

Sirius grabbed Regulus's hand and linked Regulus's pink with his own.

"Stay strong, little brother."

Sirius faded away, as did everything else, and Regulus knew no more.

* * *

The second time Regulus came to, he saw an old man.

"Who are you?" He murmured, happy to find that his speech wasn't nearly as terrible as the first time.

The man smiled. "I am many people."

"Not helpful," Regulus snarked, too exhausted to care about being polite.

"Oh, I am very helpful. But you don't need to know my identity for me to help you."

"Guess you're right. How are you... g-going to help me?" Regulus stammered, his speech deteriorating ever so slightly.

"Advice. Stay strong."

"My brother beat you to it," Regulus chuckled, weakly.

"You didn't let me finish. Be cunning. Be clever. Be brave. Work hard. You'll escape."

"Slytherin. Ravenclaw. Gryffindor. Hufflepuff," Regulus mumbled. "All the houses."

"Yes. No matter where you are sorted, you will always have traits of all the houses. Apart, the traits are wonderful. Together, they are unstoppable."

Regulus did his best to grin.

"You're right."

The man nodded. "Good luck, Regulus Black."

* * *

The third time Regulus came to, he saw himself.

The him standing there looked like the him he'd been before he'd been kidnapped. Muggle clothes, no bruises. He looked like he had at King's Cross that day.

Oh, gosh. That seemed like so long ago.

"You can never go back," the other him whispered. "You must go forward."

"How?" Regulus asked.

"That is up to you. You can do it. You are strong enough."

Regulus whimpered. "I'm afraid."

"There's nothing wrong with being afraid. Being brave is being strong enough to face your fears. And you are brave, cunning, intelligent, and hard working, not to mention kind. Your future is not written; you have no scripted destiny. Write your own. You can be whoever you want to be."

Regulus nodded, slowly, already slipping into unconsciousness.

"Be ready. Your life will never be easy again. But you are strong enough to face the hardships."

That final pearl of wisdom reached Regulus's ears right before the world went black.

* * *

When Regulus came to for the final time, Trent was there.

He was smiling. A strange, mischievous smile that made Regulus's stomach twist and turn, uncomfortably.

Regulus forgot how to breathe.

 _"Be brave."_

* * *

 _I thought it was obvious, but I just want to confirm that Regulus was hallucinating when he saw Sirius, the old man, and himself._

 _Thanks for reading!_


	6. The Game

_MUCH OF THIS STORY WILL BE BASED OFF OF LAW AND ORDER: SVU, EPISODE: HUNTING GROUND_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: IMPLIED RAPE, LANGUAGE_**

* * *

Trent's hand brushed through his hair, and Regulus tried not to flinch. He refused to give Trent the satisfaction.

Regulus tried to move- to kick, to punch, to run, to do something- but his entire body felt like it was weighed down by lead, leaving him motionless on the mattress in that tiny underground room.

"Oh, I'm going to have my way with you, my little whore," Trent smirked.

Fear gripped Regulus's heart, poisoning his insides, and against his will, tears began to fill his eyes.

It would be just like that day eight years ago, but this time, Sirius wouldn't be there to save him. At least not in time.

Please, no more, he thought, but apprehension had tightened his throat, and only ragged breaths could escape.

"I want to explain something to you, Regulus. When you were younger, you really like to play games with your brother, didn't you? Sirius would always win," Trent smirked, laughing slightly.

Regulus allowed one tear to slip out of his eye, and a part of him wondered how Trent knew that Sirius always won, but that part was overwhelmed by the agonizing grief that rolled over him.

Sirius... I miss you so much. I'm sorry... for being mean and selfish at times. If I don't come out of this alive, I hope that you know that I will always love you, and I hope you feel the same.

"Games such as... tag... hide and seek... things like that," Trent continued, and he could hear that sick, insane smile in the man's voice. "Well, I'll play Sirius, and we can play games."

The eleven year old tried to shake his head, but all did was cause pain to seize his body and a killer migraine to implant itself in his skull. All he could do was wince and stare at the ceiling as Trent continued talking, chuckling at his prey's pain.

"Here's what you do. You run and hide in the woods. I come after you with this."

The man smirked as he lifted what looked like a rifle for Regulus to see. He even went as far as to chuckle and point it at Regulus, his hand on the trigger. Regulus could tell that he loved the fearful look that crept into Regulus's eyes whenever he did something like this.

Regulus's eyes widened. The man wouldn't kill him! Not that quickly. He'd want Regulus to suffer first.

He thought of something pricking his leg right before the pain began during his run in the woods.

Could that have been a bullet?

No... it couldn't be. If it were, Regulus would only feel pain in one spot, not all over his body, and he certainly wouldn't be unable to move from a gunshot. Besides, there'd be blood; Regulus couldn't lift his head much, but he didn't spot any huge amounts of red, so he assumed that, aside from the scrapes, he wasn't bleeding, a gunshot wound surely would've left a huge spot of crimson on his pants.

So what had been shot with?

Trent pulled the trigger and chuckled as Regulus flinched, but nothing flew out of the gun.

No bullets. Or anything else, for that matter.

This brought back the question: what had he been shot with?

He got his answer when Trent held up darts instead of bullets.

Tranquilizer darts? But Tranquilizers wouldn't have this effect on him; it's meant to calm someone down but not enough to almost completely paralyze them. Regulus was growing more and more confused by the minute; if only Trent would just open his mouth and tell him what he'd done and what he was going to do. But no... Regulus's life was never that simple.

"I put these darts, which are filled with a special treat, into the gun and shoot at you. If I hit you, I win, and I get a reward."

Trent placed his hand on Regulus's waistband, and Regulus found enough strength to jerk away. Trent simply laughed, knowing that his prey wouldn't be escaping him.

Regulus, realizing this, as well, fought back his tears, but he couldn't stop the tremors that shook his entire body.

Waves of pain were crashing over him, and he wanted to scream, to fight, but he couldn't even turn his head away. He wouldn't have been able to run; the only way he was getting out of here with these drugs in his system was if he was carried by someone or in a body bag.

"If you escape, you win the game. Remember, though, you can end the game any time," he smiled a scary smile.

Regulus knew what that meant. He thought of the ropes he saw scattered throughout the woods in the most random spots.

Still, the thought of hanging himself made his stomach jerk.

He really hoped that he wouldn't get that desperate to end the game, but somehow, he knew that at some point, he would.

"Now, I won the first round, so I get a reward."

His hands began to dance up Regulus's thighs, and he knelt down to press his lips against Regulus's.

Regulus's tears finally broke free.

* * *

The drug wore off about three hours after the rape, and thus, the second round began.

Trent escorted him up the stairs and shoved him out the door before setting a timer.

"You get a thirty minute head start. Go!"

Regulus ran.

He knew it was pointless by now. An electric fence that none of the trees reached above, but if he could just find the blasted gate, he could probably find a way to get the heck out of here.

But the question was... where was the gate?

Twigs and leaves crushed underfoot, making a racket that Regulus could not afford, but he forged on.

Somehow, knowing what was coming made the game even worse. Fear coursed through his body, pushing him faster but making him even more clumsy than he already was. Every ten feet, he tripped or rammed into something too solid for him to break right through it.

Trees rushed past, and he raced and raced and bolted through the woods until he located the fence.

From there, he dashed along it, searching for the gate.

He found it, but instead of being filled with relief, he was pumped full of disappointment.

There was a heavy, rusty, metal chain looped around the gate with a huge lock.

He'd need a key or at least something strong enough to snap the chain.

All he had were branches and rocks.

Footsteps sounded from behind him.

Had it been thirty minutes already? Regulus didn't know; it was hard to keep track of time in these woods. He didn't ponder it either; he simply turned on his heel and sprinted in a random direction, one that did not contain the sound of footsteps.

The footsteps continued to draw closer.

* * *

The sun was setting, and Regulus had found a hiding place.

Under the cabin was a tiny crawl space that only a very scrawny person could squeeze into. Perfect for Regulus.

Unfortunately, his time in the crawl space resulted in too much time to think.

He'd told Sirius to think of this as a game of hide and seek, and it truly seemed that way. Just much more dangerous.

He could almost imagine Sirius creeping alongside the house, smirking as he picked up the sound of Regulus's breathing in his chosen hiding place.

Regulus smiled, weakly, at the memories of hide and seek, but that smile soon dropped when he heard the footsteps.

Regulus, slowly, crawled out of the small space, and, glancing from left to right, he dashed in the opposite direction of the footsteps, returning to the maze of trees.

The sound of whooshing wind filled the air. Breezes ruffled Regulus's hair and howled in his ears as he pushed against it, fighting against the forces of nature to escape the dangers of mankind. These sounds mingled with the piercing shirk! and the rushing wind as darts flew through the air.

Regulus only ran faster.

His breath was running out. His lungs couldn't take anything in, and his ribs felt like they were going to break from the strain he was putting his body through, but he couldn't stop.

He wouldn't stop until he got home. He refused to.

Therefore, he forced his feet to carry him faster and faster into the woods, wincing every time a dart grazed his skin, even if it did not break through. Feeling unbelievably heavy, Regulus dragged his body, rattled with pain and feeling the aftermath of the drugs, through the labyrinth.

"Where are you, you little whore?" He heard Trent chuckle from behind him.

Regulus released a silent sob as he picked up the pace.

"No where to run. No where to hide. Still, I admire your determination to not get caught by me."

Regulus tripped, sending up a spray of leaves into the air.

"There you are!"

Regulus picked himself up and sprinted until his legs could barely support his weight.

A dart missed Regulus's ear by milimeters, and he cried out in shock and fear as it embedded itself in the tree trunk to his right.

Just make it end, he begged, silently, his breaths coming out in short, painful gasps. Please.

The boy suddenly let loose a string of curse words as he tripped over a gnarly tree root jutting out into his path.

Flames engulfed the limb, and he knew it was badly fractured, maybe broken. He was going to run, regardless of the injury, but he wouldn't be able to run as fast. He needed a Plan B.

As he limped along the trail, he pleaded, quietly, with the heavens:

"Please," he murmured. "Please."

A whoosh startled him, and there was a slight thump against the small of his back. For several moments, he sat frozen, waiting.

The pain set in. A small dagger were being thrust into his back, and arcs of electricity were shooting off from the stab wound, spreading numbess to the rest of his body.

Regulus collapsed, every part of his body singing a different intensity of pain.

This time, he didn't experience any hallucinations. Before his mind could easily begin to cook one up, the pain overwhelmed him, and he passed out on the ground.

His last coherent though was... how much longer would this go on?

* * *

"Sirius, we've been trekking around for hours! We don't even know where we're going!" James snapped.

James was obviously cranky (walking around in the heat with no sense of direction could do that to you), but Sirius either didn't hear him or completely ignored him.

"All right, we need to find a way to track Regulus," Sirius said. "Let's think of the clues. We know what the kidnapper and the car looks like. I had that dream, assuming it can be used as a clue."

"All right," Severus spoke. "Sirius, are there any ways to contact Regulus? Spells, phones, anything?"

Sirius furrowed his brow as he considered the question before he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes widened.

"How could I forget?" He exclaimed, reaching deep into his pocket and pulling out a small, hand held mirror. "An enchanted mirror!"

"What do you need that for?" James asked, incredulously. "I'm right here."

"No, I made one for Regulus before I went to Hogwarts. If he has it on him, we can talk to him and try to nail his location," Sirius explained before flipping up the cover of the hand held mirror and staring into the glass.

Tentatively-hopefully- he whispered, "Reggie?"

Nothing.

"Reggie, please. Please, answer me."

The mirror remained silent. Sirius mentally cursed; why did he even get his hopes up? Reggie probably buried it in his trunk under all of his stuff. Damn.

"Siri?"

* * *

 _How was the chapter? I'm trying to include more from Regulus in this version since the previous version had almost nothing from him._

 _Review! The amount of reviews determine Regulus's fate... evil laugh_


	7. The Mirror

_Here's chapter 7. Hope you like it._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: LANGUAGE_**

* * *

"Reggie!" Sirius exclaimed. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you?" Sirius fired off one question after another, his breath leaving his lungs because he was talking to Reggie! His baby brother was still alive! There was still time to save him! (Albeit, not much, but if they hurried, Regulus would still be breathing when they got there).

Sirius's mind was moving so fast, he couldn't tell one thought from the next. The words blurred together, buzzing in his brain, and he couldn't even tell what he was thinking anymore or why.

"Sirius, let the kid answer," James whispered to him, eyes wide at Sirius's rapid speech and the fact that they had managed to contact a missing kid. Honestly, he hadn't thought they'd find Regulus, or at least not before... he kicked the bucket.

That was the main reason why James hadn't wanted to come. Realistically, the kid would be dead by the time they got there, and while James wanted to find that innocent brother of Sirius's, he didn't want to find a dead body either. Can you blame him?

"Oh, right," Sirius stated, sheepishly. "Sorry, Reggie."

Regulus nodded, absent mindedly. His eyes were glazed over, almost like some of the older years after they returned from their trips to the Astronomy Tower...

Oh.

Sirius barely suppressed an extremely animalistic growl. That bastard had drugged his baby brother!

Regulus smiled, happily.

"Siri!" He whispered, his eyes darting up, momentarily (probably glancing at door to make sure no one was around).

"Okay, Reggie, do you know where you are?" Sirius asked, desperate for answers of any kind.

His mindset was... questions, now. Rescue, now. Freakout, later.

"I'm-I'm at a cabin in the woods at least half an hour away from the train station. There's an electric fence and tons of birds," Regulus muttered with a far away gaze. "The fence is higher than any of the trees. I couldn't get out..."

His eyes glazed over even more before he shook his head and snapped back to reality.

"Are you hurt?" Sirius questioned, tentatively.

He hadn't liked the far away look that crossed his brother's face when he talked about anything revolving around his kidnapping. The almost dead look with the broken eyes. He saw it in people with PTSD (some members of his family had it). Sirius should've expected it; anyone would be traumatized, and Regulus was only eleven. He'd been through more in the past two days than most adults had in a life time.

Poor Reggie.

Regulus nodded.

"On a scale of one to ten, how badly?"

Regulus considered saying twelve (and no, he was not being dramatic), but he didn't want to worry his older brother.

"Three," he settled on, avoiding looking at the mirror, lest Sirius know he was lying. As he said this, he shifted his weight off of his broken ankle (if it was fractured before, it was surely broken by now).

Sirius sighed in relief. "Okay, that's not too bad. Are you bleeding?" He asked, his voice slightly more frantic at the thought.

Yes, Regulus thought, looking down at his body.

Scrapes and deep cuts oozed crimson, the blood smeared across his pale skin. Dark contusions decorated his slight form, and his clothes could barely be considered clothes anymore, they were so torn. His ankle was swollen and bruised, and it hurt to move it, even the smallest fraction of an inch. There was also blood on his pants from... giving his captor his reward.

Flinching at the reminder, he said, "No. Just some bruises."

"Regulus, just to clarify, you're being held in a cabin at least half an hour from the train station and it's surrounded by woods and an electric fence and with lots of birds," Remus summarized, jotting this down on a piece of Muggle paper (Remus always had paper and pen. No one ever knew why, not even Remus).

Regulus nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, Reggie, we're coming to find you," Sirius assured him. "After all... it's just a game of hide and seek, right?"

Sirius choked back his tears and tried to act calm for Regulus's sake, but he was close to crying. Everyone knew it, too, even Regulus.

"Okay. I love you, Sir-"

Regulus suddenly doubled over, screaming in pain, and footsteps raced toward him.

"Reggie!" Sirius cried.

"Sir...i," Regulus murmured with broken speech before all was silent.

The mirror was staring at a canopy of trees high above, leaves fluttered down under a bright blue sky. Unfortunately, there were no identifying things; just some birds and...

Sirius squinted. Was that... it was!

A carving on the tree! Or should I say, carvings.

Names. He couldn't read them all, but he caught a few. Andrew, Evan, Michael, and at least a dozen others. There were tally marks beside all of the names.

Sirius jolted back at a sudden sound- a familiar laugh.

A soft chuckle altered them of another presence with Regulus.

"If you want to survive the game, you gotta get better," the person smirked.

Sirius's eyes widened. He'd know that voice anywhere.

The footsteps grew heavier, as though more weight had been added; he'd probably picked Regulus up. The footsteps faded away, leaving the mirror abandoned on the forest floor.

The image faded away as Sirius closed the mirror.

"We need to find him," he whispered. "Soon. Who knows what that man could be doing to him right now?"

Sirius's mind conjured up awful images. His brother being murdered, his body dumped. Or even worse: being tortured and raped and beaten.

Deep down, Sirius knew he'd rather have Regulus dead than experience so much pain and trauma.

"Sirius, we can't afford to panic now," Lily stated, rationally. "We're going to find him, and I have an idea as to how."

She reached into the pocket of her Muggle jeans (none of them had changed into their robes yet) and withdrew a thin, black sheet of glass with a hard, red cover on the back. She pressed a button and a picture of two kids-who looked a lot like Lily and Severus, only much younger (maybe six or seven)- popped up.

Sirius and James jumped as the picture suddenly lit up the acreen.

"How is that going to help us find Reggie?" Sirius asked, pointing at the mysterious object and taking a weary step back, as though the object was going to explode.

"It's called a phone," Peter stated. They all jumped; he'd been so quiet since they'd jumped off of the train, they'd forgotten he was there. "A phone is an electronic that is an advanced version of that mirror and every textbook in the world combined. If you were to type something into a search engine, it would compile every source it could find that could possibly answer your question. You can use apps, which are basically storage areas, to do things. You can see people, like with the mirror, on an app called FaceTime. You can type messages and send them, like digital notes, using Messenger. You can search things, like looking things up in a library, using Safari, and so on, but the point is if we type an area within an hour of King's Cross surrounded by trees and forests, we could get Regulus's location."

Everyone blinked.

Peter Pettigrew was a pureblood. Many purebloods were ignorant about Muggles, so the fact that Peter knew so much about this phone was extremely shocking.

"Look, I may not be good at magic or a social butterfly, but I am good at math, science, and technology. Just because you're not familiar with my areas of expertise does not mean I'm dumb," Peter snapped, defensively, knowing that was what they were all thinking.

They all nodded, but before anyone could speak, Peter continued.

"Okay, Lily, start typing. We may not have much time."

Sirius squeaked (something he's not proud of), but Peter ignored him and focused on Lily as her nails clicked against the screen, typing the information they had into a search engine.

"Okay, good news: I did find a likely location. A closed down animal sanctuary."

"Bad news?" Severus asked, recognizing the slow way she talked when she was a to counter her good news with something bad.

"It's thirty miles from here. 45 minute drive. Much longer walk," Lily sighed.

"Let's find a bus," Sirius muttered.

"Good news: we're at King's Cross," Severus pointed out.

The group looked up and saw that Severus was right; the station was less than twenty feet from where they were standing. The seven of them had been so absorbed in their conversation, they'd lost track of how long they'd been walking, which was probably a good thing. It meant they weren't focusing on their aching feet.

"Bad news: we have no money, Wizarding or Muggle, and we have to find a way to travel thirty miles," Remus mumbled.

Sirius, face set in determination, started walking.

The other six had no choice but to follow.

* * *

"Reggie?"

Regulus froze and looked around; he could've sworn he'd heard Sirius, but that was impossible.

It was the third round. He was weaving between the trees, running with a broken, if not shattered, ankle when he'd heard his nickname.

Regulus followed the sound to his pocket and withdrew... the mirror.

He'd forgotten about the mirror! Truthfully, when Sirius gave it to him, he'd been skeptical if it even worked.

He flipped open the cover and found his brother's image staring up at him; Sirius's eyes were focused on the ground.

"Siri?" He whispered.

Sirius's head jerked up before his face split into a huge smile.

Reggie!" Sirius exclaimed. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you?" Sirius fired off one question after another, breathless.

Regulus blinked, Sirius's words sounding like no more than a buzz. He wasn't sure if it was due to Sirius's rapid speech or the aftermath of the drugs (not only had he been shot with the darts, but he'd also been given strange pills a few times, and he still didn't know what any of these drugs were).

"Sirius, let the kid answer," another voice whispered to Sirius.

A kid with glasses could be seen in the backgrohnd. Regulus thought his name started with a J... James, maybe?

"Oh, right," Sirius stated, sheepishly. "Sorry, Reggie."

Regulus nodded, absent mindedly, unable to focus. The drugs were making him zone out, and he tried to get himself to concentrate, but it was harder than he originally thought.

Regulus smiled, though, happy to see his brother.

"Siri!" He whispered, his eyes darting up to scope out the landscape in search of Trent or Johnathon.

"Okay, Reggie, do you know where you are?" Sirius asked, desperately.

"I'm-I'm at a cabin in the woods at least half an hour from the train station. There's an electric fence and tons of birds," Regulus muttered. "The fence is higher than any of the trees. I couldn't get out..."

 _Footsteps coming closer..._

 _Birds chirping above his head..._

 _The fence right in front of him..._

 _Escape so close and yet so far away..._

Regulus shook himself out of the flashback. He was living similar events now; he could start flashing back after he survived this. _If_ he survived this, anyway. Regulus was alarmed to discover that that scenario did not sound awful to him.

"Are you hurt?" Sirius questioned.

Regulus nodded.

"On a scale of one to ten, how badly?"

Regulus considered saying twelve (and no, he was not being dramatic), but he didn't want to worry his older brother.

"Three," he settled on, avoiding looking at the mirror, lest Sirius know he was lying. As he said this, he shifted his weight off of his broken ankle (if it was fractured before, it was surely broken by now).

Sirius sighed in relief. "Okay, that's not too bad. Are you bleeding?" He asked, his voice slightly more frantic at the thought.

Yes, Regulus thought, looking down at his body.

Scrapes and deep cuts oozed crimson, the blood smeared across his pale skin. Dark contusions decorated his slight form, and his clothes could barely be considered clothes anymore, they were so torn. His ankle was swollen and bruised, and it hurt to move it, even the smallest fraction of an inch. There was also blood on his pants from... giving his captor his reward.

Flinching at the reminder, he said, "No. Just some bruises."

"Regulus, just to clarify, you're being held in a cabin at least half an hour from the train station and it's surrounded by woods and an electric fence and with lots of birds," Someone else (Regulus vaguely recognized the voice, but he couldn't place it) summarized.

Regulus nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, Reggie, we're coming to find you," Sirius assured him. "After all... it's just a game of hide and seek, right?"

Regulus could tell Sirius was close to tears; he couldn't blame him.

"Okay. I love you, Sir-"

Shirk! A dart embedded itself in Regulus's upper arm, right above his elbow, and he screamed in pain, doubling over as the numbess spread, rapidly.

"Reggie!" Sirius cried.

"Sir...i," Regulus murmured before he lost the energy to speak..

Regulus stared at the forest floor, smelling the damp leaves under his nose and wincing as dirt blew into his eyes.

Footsteps were approaching.

A soft chuckle sounded.

"If you want to survive the game, you gotta get better," Trent smirked.

Regulus flinched before his body lurched as he was lifted up bridal style and carried away, leaving the mirror where he'd dropped it.

Then, his world faded away.

* * *

Later on, after Regulus had come to, he'd given his captor his 'reward' before watching as Trent left.

Then, he stared blankly at the ceiling, listening to the deafening silence of the tiny room.

Despite everything- the booming silence, the crippling loneliness, the debilitating shame- a spark of hope was blooming in his chest. The conversation with his brother had proven the thing that Regulus had been doubting since he'd been kidnapped.

Sirius was coming to save him.

Now, if only Regulus could survive that long...

* * *

 _REVIEW! It really makes my day when you do!_

 _Also, there will be more detail on the carvings and what they mean in the sequel. For now, you can create theories and wait impatiently to figure out if you're right (writers are so cruel, aren't they?)_


	8. Sirius Would Be Proud

_'Sup, my fellow bookworms? (I tried to act cool and failed)_

 _Also, later in the chapter, there is mention of Regulus's relatives. Lyra, León, Estella, and Aunt Cassie are characters I created; the others are canon characters._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: LANGUAGE, RAPE (IT'S NOT EXACTLY GRAPHIC BUT READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)_**

* * *

Regulus lost track of time in the strange room, but he knew that every round of the game started in the day time. He didn't know if it was every other day or every day; he didn't know how many hours passed in between each round, especially while he was unconscious.

Regulus squinted against the sun as he was shoved out of the door to the cabin; the bright sun beat down on his already sun burnt skin and into his sensitive eyes. There was a light in the small room, but his kidnappers controlled it from upstairs and almost never turned it on.

Trent smirked. "Go."

With that one word, the fourth round of the game began, and Regulus was off like a shot into the woods.

Twigs crunched under his feet and his broken ankle had long since gone numb, causing him to limp and stumble through the trees. Branches whipped at his face, creating long, thin scratches across his skin.

There was no direction in these woods. He didn't know where he was or where he was going, and he had no idea how to get out. He was trapped; therefore, he simply ran just to delay the inevitable.

* * *

By the time Regulus thought of a plan, it was around noon; the sun was suspended directly above his head. The sun had barely been risen this morning, so five to six hours had passed since the round had begun.

Regulus tripped around a tree and found the cabin staring back at him, now empty. After running for so long, he must've accidently back tracked. The good news was that Trent and Johnathon wouldn't expect him to be around the cabin, so it gave him some time.

Regulus was about to turn around when the idea struck him like a bolt of lightning from the clear blue sky.

It was a long shot, but... there was a chance.

Regulus scanned the landscape in search of his kidnappers, but there was no sign of the blue shirt Trent wore or the red one Johnathon donned (Trent decided to have them wear bright colors to give Regulus a fighting chance. It made his victory all that more sweet when Regulus still failed to notice them and escape them). No footsteps. No shirks as the darts were released from the tranquilizer gun.

Regulus took a deep breath and sprinted toward the car parked in front of the cabin.

He'd discovered that Johnathon left the keys in the car when he'd noticed them through the window earlier that day; he couldn't blame him. After all, who would steal the car out here? There was no one but Trent, Johnathon, and Regulus for miles, and they assumed Regulus couldn't drive.

You know what they say about those who assume...

That's right; eleven year old Regulus Black knew how to drive. His cousin, Andromeda, had learned how to drive from her boyfriend Ted; Regulus and Sirius had often rode in the car with them when their parents weren't paying attention, and they'd managed to slip out the door. Regulus had always been a fast learner, and while he was far from an expert, he still knew enough to drive out of this hell and flag down another vehicle.

The door was unlocked, and he leaped inside, starting the car by turning the keys in the ignition.

The car vroomed, loudly, and Regulus slammed his foot on the pedal (having to practically stand up to reach it); the car rumbled backwards and, watching for trees, he turned the car and raced down the trail.

There were shouts of surprise from his captors somewhere in the woods, but Regulus didn't risk a glance over his shoulder. He focused on the trail and sped up, the tires kicking up dusts in a huge cloud behind him.

The gate was in sight, and Regulus reached into the back seat, feeling around for... there it was!

The crowbar.

Johnathon had had it in the car on the day he kidnapped Regulus, but it'd been in the front seat then. He'd threatened to wack Regulus unconscious if he tried anything before Johnathon had had the chance to bind and gag him.

Regulus slammed on the brake and leaped out of the car before it'd even come to a complete stop and dashed towards the gate, the crowbar gripped in his sweaty hands.

One smack to the lock. Nothing except for a loud clang of metal on metal.

Another smack. A groan sounded from the lock as it shifted, the chain loosening slightly.

Regulus raised his hands and was about to bring it down for a third and hopefully final hit when hands wrapped around his midsection.

"Got ya, you little brat!" Johnathon chuckled, cruelly.

Regulus screamed as the crowbar was yanked from his grasp, and he kicked and screeched, punching and hitting whatever body part of Johnathon's he could reach (he even managed to land a good punch to the stomach, causing Jonathon to double over). He wacked his kidnapper so hard in the face, Johnathon released him.

Johnathon crumpled as his eyes swelled and his nose gushed blood, his lip fat and split.

Regulus broke free, grabbed the crowbar, and he prepared to knock the man out when another set of hands wrapped around his waist.

Trent.

"Not today, my pretty little boy," he smirked, chuckling.

Something pricked Regulus's neck. Not a dart. A syringe.

There was no pain, and for that, Regulus was grateful.

The world was flooded with a sea of blackness.

* * *

When Regulus came to, he discovered that Trent hadn't wasted any time. He was already sitting on Regulus's waist, smiling cruelly at the young boy below him.

"What did you give me?" Regulus mumbled, still feeling exhausted.

It couldn't have been what was in those darts. There was no pain, and he could still move (Thank Merlin). He vaguely remembered the sharp prick of a syringe in his neck before everything faded away.

"Just a sedative," Trent responded, casually. "We gave you a pretty high dosage, so it knocked you out for a few hours."

Trent shifted, and Regulus flinched, knowing what was coming.

Trent's long, thin fingers slipped under Regulus's tattered T-shirt, the rough skin rubbing against Regulus's smooth chest.

Regulus tried to think of something else, anything else.

He remembered his mom's soft voice singing to him as a toddler... before she'd become cold and distant.

Did she even care he was gone? Would she want him back once she discovered what Trent had done to him? What Regulus had done?

Trent had slipped off Regulus's shirt and was working on the button of the boy's pants.

He remembered his dad's hearty laugh, the jokes and funny stories he used to tell. Regulus's favorite was the one about his dad and Aunt Cassie pulling pranks on his grandpa.

It made him wonder what happened. His grandpa hadn't changed much from the time Aunt Cassie and his dad were young, but Regulus never saw Aunt Cassie anymore. She moved to America when Regulus was almost nine and never looked back. His own father lost his easy going nature and his booming laugh and became formal and frigid.

He didn't even let Regulus call him Daddy or Dad anymore. It was always Father.

Would Orion even let Regulus call him Father after he discovered what Regulus had done? What he'd been forced to do?

Trent was working on his own clothes now, tossing his jacket on the floor and stripping off his shirt.

Regulus thought of Andy and Ted. Much of his family hated Andy because she'd fallen for a Muggleborn, but Andy was like the sister Regulus never had.

Andy was one month pregnant. The baby was going to be born in April, and she was already looking at names.

He'd probably never get to meet Andy's baby, and if he came out of this alive, would she want him to?

Trent was kissing Regulus and touching him; Regulus tried to lay perfectly still. Trent always made it hurt more when he fought back.

Aunt Cassie, Uncle Alpharad, Uncle Cygnus, his grandparents, his younger cousins León and Lyra, his older cousins Bella and Cissa and Estella and everyone else in his entire family flashed before his eyes.

Would they want him back?

Regulus's world exploded in pain. He never got used to the feeling of This.

He saw his Muggle friends (who his parents didn't know about and would probably never know about) Alex and Sarah in his mind's eye. Would Regulus ever tell them about this? Would they still want to be friends with him?

Trent ran his fingers through Regulus's hair, yanking it occassionally and smirking as Regulus flinched.

Finally... Sirius.

His older brother. His best friend.

Trent gasped horrible things into his ear, but Regulus barely heard them.

Regulus stole a car. He was so close to escape. He tried to get away, and he almost succeeded.

Sirius would be proud.

Regulus had been forced to do unspeakable things. Unimaginable things, actually.

He wouldn't blame his family or friends if they hated him.

But Sirius would be proud of him for fighting; he'd be proud of him for trying, and if he could hold on for a little bit long, Sirius would be proud of him for surviving.

Sirius would always love him.

 _"Sirius, will you always love me?" Regulus had asked at age seven._

 _Sirius had frowned. "Of course. Why would I ever stop?"_

 _"Mumm-Mother said she hated me today," Regulus mumbled._

 _Sirius had sighed; only two years older, he still didn't completely understand what had happened to their previously picture perfect family, but he understood more than Regulus did. He knew his mother didn't mean that. But he wouldn't tell Regulus how he knew. Regulus was only seven; he didn't need to understand quite yet what was going on behind closed doors in their own home._

 _"Mother didn't mean that," he told Regulus, "but if it makes you feel any better, I promise that I will always love you."_

 _"Pinky promise?" Regulus chirped, holding out his pinky._

 _Sirius laughed before offering his own tiny finger._

 _"Pinky promise," he agreed._

 _And Sirius always kept his promises._

Trent found his release and stood, getting dressed and zipping his pants.

"No one has ever gotten away from me, kid," he said. "What makes you think you'll be the first?"

Then, he left.

His words rang in Regulus's ears as the horrible realization set in:

He wasn't the only one.

New determination set in; he wouldn't wish this torture on his worst enemy, and now, Regulus didn't care if he died. He only cared about one thing:

He wasn't the first, but maybe, he could make sure that he was the last.

* * *

Detective Kyle Marks breathed a heavy sigh as he stared at the scattered files on his desk.

Another kidnapping. Same procedure: talk to the kid, and then, when he least expects it, pull a knife and sneakily force him through the crowd. Taken in broad daylight.

The kidnapper obviously hadn't been anticipating the brother, however.

Staring down at the sketch he'd gotten from a security guard, he pursed his lips, recognizing the familiar thin lips, the neatly cut goatee, and the seemingly friendly eyes from previous sketches.

Another kidnapping. The thirteenth.

The first was Andrew Sullivan, age eleven, two months from his twelfth birthday. Taken two years ago from a playground. Mom took a phone call, and when she turned back, Andrew was gone. According to the only true witness (a five year old girl, Lucy Caral), the kidnapper pulled a knife and forced Andrew into his car.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The second was Johnny Tremaine, age eleven, three months after his eleventh birthday. Taken two months after Andrew on the way home from school. Believed to have been approached by the kidnapper before he was forced into the car, possibly with a knife. Johnny possibly fought back, as there was a small amount of Johnny's blood on the sidewalk; while the kidnapper forced him into the car, the knife may have slipped.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The third was Micheal Jerrace, age eleven, two weeks before his twelfth birthday. Taken two months after Johnny in a restaurant. Mother took Michael's four year old sister to the bathroom and came back to find Michael gone. A seventy year old man (James Summers) noticed Michael leaving with a man; he thought he saw something metal pressed against Michael's side, but he blamed it on his poor eyes and turned away.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The fourth was Evan Carter, age eleven. Taken two months after Michael from a library. Parents were looking for their own books and had left Evan in the Young Readers section. Librarian saw Evan leave with a man but thought the man was his father and brushed it off.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The fifth was Robert Keel, age eleven, six weeks after his eleventh birthday. Taken two months after Evan from his bus stop. A fellow student (Carly Jefferson) had noticed Robert leave with him as she was approaching the bus stop and called her parents to inform them of the strange event. They'd told her it was probably nothing.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The sixth was Aaron Dezzy, age eleven. Taken two months after Robert from a waiting room at a doctor's office. Mother was talking to the woman at the desk (Hope Gerra) and signing Aaron in for the appointment. Neither noticed the man leave with Aaron, and besides them, the waiting room was empty.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The seventh was Jeffery Hernandez, age eleven. Taken two months after Aaron from the dentist. While Jeffery was waiting for his mother to finish scheduling a follow up appointment, the man took Jeffery from the waiting room. The only witness was a two year old boy named Carlos Ace, but Carlos's father had his back turned and didn't see Jeffery and the man leave.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The eighth was Johnny Alexander, age eleven, three weeks before his twelfth birthday. Taken two months after Jeffery from a park. Father was playing baseball with Johnny's older brother, and mother was feeding his baby sister. Jeffery was seen by three passerby leaving with a man who they assumed to be his father.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The ninth was Thomas Alderton, age eleven. Taken two months after Johnny from a concert in the park. While the parents weren't looking, Thomas was lead away by a man. No one thought anything of it.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The tenth was Joey Anderson, age eleven. Taken two months after Thomas from a museum. Most likely no knife this time but victim was possibly threatened. Witnesses noticed Joey appeared 'pale and was shaking', but they assumed he was simply feeling sick.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The eleventh was Nathan Bisk, age eleven, a day after his eleventh birthday. Taken two months after Joey from the pool. Mother was busy reading and didn't notice a man lead her son away. Steve Feelas reported to have seen Nathan leaving with the man and thought he looked scared, but since he wasn't fighting or screaming, Steve assumed he knew the man.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

The twelfth was Ethan Cassidy, age eleven. Taken two months after Nathan from a lake. Father was teaching younger brother how to fish and didn't notice when a man approached his son and lead him (possibly forced him) to a car.

Status: unknown. Presumed dead, no body

And finally, thirteen.

Regulus Black, age eleven. Taken two months after Ethan from a train station. Brother left Regulus alone while he went to find his friends and, upon return, found Regulus being pulled away by some stranger. When the man noticed the brother, he panicked, grabbed Regulus, and ran. Regulus was thrown into a car, and the man drove away.

Kyle knew it was the same man. After all these years, he'd learned to trust his gut, and his gut told him that that man was the same man that kidnapped the other twelve. Many people called him crazy or narrow minded for believing one man did all of this, but Kyle knew.

He closed the file with a sigh, and stood, the last two words on Regulus Black's profile swimming in front of his eyes.

Status: unknown

* * *

 _So Johnathon has a pattern. Two months between kidnappings, all eleven year old boys. There will be more detail on the other kidnappings and Detective Kyle Marks in the sequel_


	9. Regulus and Trent

_This is basically Regulus's point of view of when he was eight and ran into Trent. It kind of explores their past and their... relationship, I guess. You can't really call it that, but you get my point._

 _Also, this chapter had some very graphic parts to it. I suggest reading this chapter at your own risk. It's not exactly vital to the story (it's more of a building block for something in the sequel), so if you are squeamish about any of the warnings, skip the chapter_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: MOLESTATION (VERY GRAPHIC, SKIP THE ITALICIZED BIT IF YOU WISH), IMPLICATIONS OF STOCKHOLM SYNDROME (VERY VAGUE, THOUGH)_**

* * *

Regulus Black was eight years old when he lost his innocence. Regulus Black was eight years old when he stopped trusting people. Regulus Black was eight years old when he met Trent for the first time.

"Siri, Siri! I have to use the bathroom," the small child begged.

Sirius rolled his eyes, glancing at their parents standing in line at the restaurant.

"Fine!" Sirius relented. "But be quick."

Sirius asked their parents where the nearest restroom was and pointed it out to Regulus, who smiled at his brother in thanks and ran off.

Regulus went into the bathroom and took care of things before he held his hands under the facet, washing them.

As he was rinsing the soap off his skin, he happened to glance into the mirror above the sink and noticed a man was standing right behind him.

Regulus spun around in surprise, spraying water across the floor.

"I'm sorry, sir," he gasped. "I didn't see you there."

The man said nothing.

Feeling awkward with the man's eyes glued to him, Regulus turned around and reached for the paper towels, drying his hands as quickly as possible.

As soon as he allowed the paper towel to flutter into the garbage, hands grabbed him around his waist, throwing him against the nearest wall, only inches from the mirror.

Regulus screamed in panic, but then, the man's rough palm covered his lips. Regulus bit it, but the man didn't even seem to notice.

"If you scream, I'll kill you," the man hissed, holding up a pocket knife. The blade was released from its sheath, the metal glinting in the dim lighting of the bathroom.

Regulus's eyes widened.

"Do you understand?" He whispered.

Regulus nodded, frantically.

"Good boy."

 _The hand was removed, and lips pressed against Regulus's own, the force pushing him painfully against the wall._

 _Regulus's nails dug into the man's coat; he wanted to push him away, but he was scared the man might let the knife 'slip' if he tried anything. Regulus's feet weren't even scuffing the ground, and he was afraid the man might drop him, so he clung to the man's shoulders like a life line._

 _"Good boy," the man repeated, gasping._

 _He pried one of Regulus's hands from his coat and guided Regulus's hand between the man's legs._

 _Regulus shook his head, his eyes wide in panic, but then, he experienced a stinging sensation in his neck and realized that the man had the knife pressed against his vulnerable throat._

 _Regulus stopped fighting._

 _"I thought so," the man muttered._

 _The man rested Regulus's hand on his crotch, and Regulus whimpered._

 _"Move your hand," the man instructed._

 _Regulus did what he said, and then, he jumped when the man's fingers started touching him... down there._

 _"Tell me how much you like it," the man murmured._

 _Regulus opened his mouth, but he only managed a sob._

 _"Tell me!" The man begged, urgently, his eyes pleading._

 _"I like it," Regulus whispered._

 _"Again! More urgent!" The man panted, forcing Regulus to move his hand faster._

 _There was something hard between the man's legs, and Regulus's face burned with humiliation when he realized what it was._

 _"I like it!" Regulus responded, although his sobs made the words hard to understand._

 _"Beg for more!" The man growled, his fingers moving over Regulus's pants faster and fiddling with the zipper._

 _"More!" Regulus pleaded, but his mind was crying out for it to stop. "Please!"_

 _"Say my name! Say Trent!" The man whimpered._

 _"Trent!" Regulus sobbed, not even sure what he was saying anymore._

 _"That's right, my slut! That's right," the man snarled as he slipped his hand into Regulus's pants._

 _Regulus cried, harder, as his innocence was viciously ripped from him._

 _The man forced Regulus's hand into the man's jeans, touching skin now, and Regulus banged his other hand against the wall. He wanted to think of anything but what was happening to him, but even the scratches and developing bruises and the pain skittling across his hand from continuously pounding it against the wall wasn't enough to distract him._

 _The man moaned, and Regulus felt something soak his hand; when the man released his wrist, Regulus retracted it, and he stared at the creamy fluid covering his fingers._

 _The man grabbed Regulus's hand and thrust the small fingers into Regulus's mouth._

 _Regulus coughed and sputtered, but the man forced him to suck the bitter fluid from his hand until Regulus's skin was clean._

 _Regulus wanted to get sick._

 _"If you get sick, I will make you eat it," the man (what did he say his name was? Regulus's mind was so jumbled, he could barely process anything)._

 _Regulus flinched as the man's hand moved faster._

The man groaned and smiled at Regulus. "You're the best one yet."

Best one?

Regulus's stomach turned even more.

The door burst open, and Regulus sobbed in relief when he saw Sirius standing in the doorway.

"Get the fuck away from him!" Sirius screamed.

His older brother leaped onto the man's back, causing both of them to tumble backwards and Regulus to be dropped. As soon as his feet hit the floor, Regulus sank to the ground, not bothering to button his trousers.

He was vaguely aware of a struggle occurring, but the world was fuzzy, and he couldn't focus on any one thing. Everything sounded as though it were occurring behind a wall; nothing existed except for this crippling shame in his chest, eating away at his soul, and soon, there would be nothing left.

A person knelt beside him, but Regulus couldn't tell who it was. Finger tips brushed against his arm, and Regulus, thinking the man had returned, jolted away.

Please don't touch me, he begged silently.

For a brief moment, the hand vanished before the fingers returned, pressed against the back of Regulus's neck. A sting shocked him; that was where the man had cut him.

He recognized the smooth skin of Sirius's hand; it was not the rough touch of the man's. For the time being, he was safe.

* * *

At the hospital, Regulus had been examined. An officer swabbed his hand for any left over traces of... you know. Regulus was forced to sit through an entire examination, and the nurse had stared at him in pity when he didn't even react to it.

Shock, they said. Traumatized.

They never found him. Although Regulus had hoped, he knew they wouldn't.

Regulus's ordeal did not end there.

As soon as they walked through the door to their house, Regulus had disappeared into his room and locked the door and window; he covered the window with a blanket and placed glass cups on the window sill. If anyone tried to sneak in, Regulus would know before they could even fully slip through the opening.

A baseball bat lay under his bed, and after nightmares, Regulus would kneel over the side of the bed and grasp the bat before he knew what he was doing.

He wouldn't eat. He couldn't sleep. He barely even left his bed.

The man would come back for him. He always knew it, but he never knew when.

To this day, those glasses are still on Regulus's window sill.

* * *

Regulus awoke with a start, and he found himself staring at the ceiling of The Room.

"Having nightmares about me?" A voice smirked.

Regulus forced himself not to jump as he turned to face Trent, gazing at him with a sandwich and a bottle of water in his hands.

"You get fed every three days," Trent explained. "In thirty seconds, it's exactly the three day marker of when Johnathon tossed you in the car."

Regulus nodded.

He was out of ideas. He had only had one left, and while he hated it, it may just be enough.

He smiled. "Thank you, Trent."

Trent looked shocked.

"You used my name," he stated as he rested the food and water on the floor beside Regulus. As much as Regulus wanted to dive for it, he managed to restrain himself.

Regulus nodded. "Why wouldn't I?"

A few awkward beats of silence passed before Regulus put the plan into action.

He kissed Trent.

Trent was stunned for several seconds before he kissed Regulus back.

Despite Regulus's turning stomach, he swallowed the bile and moaned against Trent's lips.

Trent pulled away, breathless.

"You're desperate, aren't you?" He smiled.

Regulus nodded, eagerly.

"Please, Trent!" He begged.

Trent grinned. "All right."

Hands were everywhere. In his pants. Under his shirt. Running through his hair.

Regulus moaned and pleaded, withering like he wanted this.

He hated every minute of it.

His only hope was that Trent would think he wanted it, would think he needed Trent.

Maybe he'd let him go. Or at least lessen up on security until Regulus could escape.

Maybe he'd even stop the game...

Regulus wanted to get sick, but he forced it down and gasped the three words he never wanted to say to the man.

"I love you."

Trent stared at Regulus with wide eyes.

"You do?"

Regulus smiled; it was working.

He nodded. "You saved me from my awful family," he lied. "Did you know that my mother does drugs? Or that my dad drinks? I'd rather be here with you than back home."

Trent sighed. "My family didn't care about me either."

He laid down, his head beside Regulus's shoulder and rested a hand on Regulus's stomach.

"My mother left when I was a baby. My father had this awful girlfriend, and she... she molested me. And the worst part was that my daddy knew. He didn't care at all. I ran away at sixteen and got taken in by two nice guys. I actually loved one of them, but then..."

Trent started sobbing.

"They sold me to a guy, and that's how I was forced into prostitution. I was making money and giving it to this guy, and when I was twenty-three, he tried to kill me and left me for dead. I managed to make it to a hospital.

"I don't want to hurt people. I can't help it; it's all I've ever known."

Regulus felt bad for Trent, and he hated himself for feeling bad.

Trent had raped him, toyed with him, beaten him, drugged him, and hunted him like an animal.

But Trent had also been raped, toyed with, beaten, manipulated, and most likely drugged.

It was a cycle. The circle of hurt. And Regulus wanted to make sure it stopped with him.

Regulus sighed before reaching over and weaving his fingers with Trent's.

"You said you don't want to hurt people. Let me help you stop," Regulus whispered. "I love you, Trent. I don't want you to get thrown in jail. I'll stay here with you, and even if we get caught, I'll vouch for you. They can't arrest you if there isn't a victim, right?"

All of that was a huge lie, but Regulus had always been good at lying. He'd never exactly been proud of that until now.

Trent grinned and kissed Regulus.

And Regulus felt the love behind it.

He almost felt bad for tricking Trent; in Trent's warped mind, he really did love Regulus. He almost felt bad...

Almost.

* * *

 _What do you think of the ending? I really wasn't sure on this chapter, especially since it's so graphic, but I wanted to include something that showed a more human side of Trent and the aftermath of an assault (Regulus's paranoia)._

 _Thanks for reading! Sorry if this chapter disturbed you, but I promise, this is the most graphic it will be._


	10. Picture Perfect Family

_Hello!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE, NEGLECT, CHILD ABUSE, SUICIDE ATTEMPT_**

* * *

When they arrived, all was silent except for the occasional coo of a bird or the bark of a dog. Sirius tramped several feet ahead, weaving in and out of trees, while the group chased after him.

"Sir!" James called, tripping over a root that jutted out into his path. "Slow down! We can't keep up!"

Sirius whirled around and glared at them with eyes that you'd have to see to even imagine. Silver orbs blazing with fury and determination; dark circles staining the skin beneath haunted orbs. Gaunt cheeks and sunken in eyes and a small form that was even more intimidating than the Hulk when you paired it with those eyes.

Huh. James had never noticed any of that before. Regulus had been kidnapped three days ago; how could Sirius's appearance have fallen apart so fast?

"Slow down?" Sirius spat. "Slow down?! Get back to me when someone you love has been taken from you like... like some object! Then tell me to slow down!"

James had never seen Sirius as a Black until that moment. He saw him as a friend, a fellow Gryffindor, born into the wrong family, but now...

Now, there was no doubt in James's mind that at the end of the day, Sirius was a Black. And he always would be.

But he'd also be Sirius. James hadn't realized what a wonderful balance that was; the loyalty and bravery of Sirius, and the determination and cunning nature of a Black. James wouldn't want to be fighting against him.

"Sirius," Lily whispered, placing a pale, hesitant hand on Sirius's bony shoulder.

Had Sirius always been so thin? James wondered.

"It's almost eleven," Lily continued. "Let's just camp here for the night."

"No!" Sirius snapped, and Lily jumped, having never heard Sirius so angry. "Regulus has been gone for three days! We talked to him hours ago, and he was hurt. He could be dead by morning!'

"Sirius," Severus broke in. "We're close, Sirius, I know it. If Regulus is in trouble, we'll be able to hear him. We've been trekking around for over a day. Let's just sleep for the night and find Regulus in the morning. Trust me, you need it."

Sirius sighed. He knew he was outnumbered on this one, and he saw their logic; James knew he'd go alone if he had to, but he also knew that that was the last thing Sirius wanted.

Sirius acted so strong, so independent, but he didn't want to fight alone. He never did... and he'd never have to, if James had anything to say about it.

"Fine," Sirius murmured. "But first thing in the morning."

"Of course, Sir," Remus promised.

The group laid on the ground, huddled close together for warmth in the chilly night air. Using their jackets as pillows, they tried to sleep.

(Even though most of them couldn't, knowing that a kidnapped child was less than a mile from where they lay, possibly experiencing a fate worse than death.)

* * *

It was useless! Absolutely bloody useless! Sirius couldn't sleep.

The Black heir sat up, tears cascading down his cheeks. His nightmares were filled to the brim with images of Reggie, hurt, bleeding, dying, and so much more. He even had one of Regulus suspended from a branch by a rope before the branch snapped, and his sibling tumbled to the ground with a crack!

"Sir, are you all right?" James whispered from beside him. Apparently, he couldn't sleep either.

"Dumb question," Sirius snarked before he sighed. "Sorry, that was snippy."

"It's cool," James muttered. "I'd be more worried if you _weren't_ snippy."

Sirius chuckled. "Good point."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why do you look-"

"Like shit?" Sirius finished.

He was well aware of his appearance. Although he wished he wasn't, he wasn't about to lie and say he looked healthy.

"To put it bluntly, yes," James replied.

"Well... my parents love Reggie and I, but they don't love each other nearly as much. Their marriage was arranged, and they didn't really love each other from the beginning, but when they got involved with drugs and drinking, things really went to hell. Most of the time, they're too drunk or high to remember to buy food, and they're yelling keeps us up at night. And sometimes, when they're not in their right mind, they forget we're their children and start... hitting us."

James didn't know how to respond to that.

James grew up in a loving family. His mom was an amazing Healer; his dad was an outstanding Auror. He was their only child, and they loved him more than life itself. And most importantly, they'd never laid a hand on him. His parents didn't even believe in spanking.

"I'm so sorry," James finally forced past the lump in his throat, not knowing what else to say.

Sirius shrugged. "It's not like you're the one that hit me, and I use glamour charms to hide all of... this."

He gestured to the thinness of his body, the dark circles beneath his eyes, the permanent frown lines etched on his face, no longer concealed by magic or a bright smile.

James sighed. "Sirius, I'm your best friend. I should've known."

Sirius smiled, sadly. "James, it's not like it's something I broadcast to the whole world. My own relatives don't know what occurs behind closed doors in Grimmauld Place. If they didn't know, how could you?"

James saw his point, but he still experienced an unsettling weight in his lower stomach. A knot of emotions... guilt was the most prominent.

"Sirius..." James said, hesitantly. "Would you leave home if you could?"

"Could I take Regulus with me?"

"Of course."

"In a heart beat."

"Sirius, we need to report this. My dad's on good terms with social services. He could get you both into a great home, and even keep you together."

Sirius turned to face James, his eyes dark and haunted and... hopeless.

"James, I'm a member of the Black family, and if there's one thing I know for sure about my family, it's that a Black can get away with anything. Even murder."

The words settled over them, heavy, like a never ending fog surrounding the two friends.

"We'd better get to sleep," Sirius whispered. "I'm hoping this will be easier than I think it's going to be, but just in case we need to do a lot of running, we should probably be well rested."

James nodded and watched as Sirius rolled over, beginning to snore almost immediately, although he still twitched in his sleep, as though he were experiencing an unpleasant dream.

James tried to sleep, but he still found himself staring at the canopy of leaves above his head and wondering how he'd missed so much of his best friend's life.

* * *

Trent was mad at him. Really mad.

Regulus had managed to keep his mouth shut during the rape, but when Trent tried to get him to suck him off, Regulus couldn't do it.

He bit him. Hard.

The door had been open, and while Trent crumpled to the ground in a bleeding mess, Regulus had made a break for it. He'd burst through the front door and raced into the woods.

That was how they wound up playing another round of The Game, only this time Trent wasn't just doing this for fun. He was doing it for revenge.

Now, Regulus couldn't breathe. He was tired and in pain, and the burn around his neck was excruciating. The crunch of leaves underfoot could be heard nearby, and Regulus prayed (praying now, of all times... ironic).

Come on! He shouted in his mind. Come on!

Creak, the branch whispered. Creak! The sound was getting louder, going from a hiss to a shout in seconds. CRACK!

The branch snapped, spilling Regulus Black to the ground; his head smacked against a rock, and the world became a blur of colors.

The noose scraped against his neck, and Regulus could feel the branch crushing his back. If the noose didn't work, maybe the branch would crush his lungs and suffocate him.

He wanted it to be over. He couldn't do it anymore.

He was so tired. Tired of running. Of pain. Of shame. Of being hunted like an animal. He felt lower than a dog; he didn't feel like a person anymore. He'd lost so much.

His virginity, stolen.

His dignity, lost.

His hope, snapped.

His home, snatched away.

His family, nothing but smoke in a fantasy too far to reach.

Even thoughts of Sirius didn't give him hope anymore.

If he returned home, they would hate him. He should've fought harder. He should've screamed, kicked, headbutted Jonathon the day he was taken. Something!

He was everything Trent called him. A slut. A whore. A weak, pathetic, worthless toy that would never be good for anything except in bed.

Maybe he deserved it. Why would this be happening to him if he hadn't done something to deserve it? What sins had he committed that warranted this? What had he done to deserve this living Hell?

He wanted to go home, but after his parents found out what Trent had done to him, he'd never be allowed on the welcome mat, much less in the house. Regulus even convinced himself that Sirius would turn away in disgust.

If he couldn't go home, he wanted to die.

Footsteps sounded, squashing Regulus's hope that he would suffocate under the weight of the tree limb. The weight disappeared from his back, and a sharp kick was delivered to his ribs.

"You're not getting away from me that easily, kid," Trent chuckled, cruelly.

Regulus was lifted off of the earth and tossed over Trent's shoulder, too weak from his fall to fight back.

"Why?" He rasped.

Trent smirked. "Why am I doing this?"

Regulus nodded, his forehead hitting Trent's back.

Trent seemed to contemplate that for a moment.

"Because I can," he finally settled on.

As they walked back towards the house, Trent froze, and Regulus lifted his head as an odd sound met his ears.

He'd heard the sound many times before, but... out here? No way.

Someone was snoring, softly.

More than one someone, actually.

"Shit," Trent cursed before walking towards the cabin, much quieter and quicker than before.

Regulus didn't know how (after all, the people snoring could've been anyone), but he knew the truth.

Sirius had come for him.

* * *

Walburga Black couldn't sleep.

She stared out the window, gazing intently at the night sky, the stars glowing above, like holes in the floor of heaven.

Orion wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his pajama clad shoulder.

Her children, gone.

Regulus, taken from them by a cruel man who was doing God knows what to him right now.

Sirius, disappeared from the Hogwarts Express, likely going to find Regulus.

At least he hadn't gone alone. Even if he was with a Mudblood, a Half Blood, two blood traitors, and a werewolf (Orion worked at the Ministry and knew quite a lot of happenings in the Wizarding World, even ones people tried to keep secret), he wasn't alone.

Walburga hadn't prayed since she was twelve years old, but now, almost thirty years later, she bowed her head.

All she could do was pray that her children would return home.

* * *

 _Rape victims usually blame themselves. Yes, horrible, but true. I made this realistic by showing the decline of Regulus's hope and self esteem until he started blaming himself. Unfortunately, that's usually what happens in the real world._


	11. Rescue?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **WARNINGS: LANGUAGE**

* * *

When Sirius pictured how bad off his baby brother actually was, he hadn't expected it to be like this. Even in his nightmares, Regulus hadn't been anywhere near as injured.

The group had awoken at the crack of dawn to search for Regulus, and they'd hadn't been forced to walk long before they stumbled across a cabin. It was old, but the outside had recently been repainted a dark brown; the windows were as clean as they could be when the cabin was located in the woods, surrounding by falling leaves and loads of animals. The screen door had a few rips in it, and the door was scratched up, slightly, but those seemed to be the only imperfections of this little cottage.

Sirius quickly ascended the wooden stairs and tapped on the door.

"Hello? Anyone home?" He called.

No answer greeted him.

"Hello?" He repeated.

Still no answer.

Needless to say, the polite hellos quickly became "Open the damn door already!"

Fed up, Sirius tossed open the screen door, nearly knocking it off its hinges, and twisted the doorknob. The door opened with ease.

He gestured for the group to follow.

"Come on," he ordered, stepping through the door way and finding any rooms within his vision empty.

"Sirius," Severus mumbled, looking at the cabin as though it might swallow him. "This could be a trap."

"I don't care!" The boy spat. "If Regulus is in there, then I don't care if there's a bloody serial killer in this house. I am getting to get him back, with or without you."

On a normal occassion, the group would've been ticked at Sirius's bad additude, but they all knew that if this were their family member (especially someone as close as sibling), they probably wouldn't have been acting any different.

Sirius stormed into the house, looking like some kind of warrior from the past marching into battle, and the group followed.

"Reggie! Reggie! If you can hear me, say something!" Sirius shouted, his voice echoing in the silent house.

Nothing.

Severus suddenly departed from their group and started searching the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" James hissed.

Severus opened a cabinet and smiled.

"Bingo," he muttered before grabbing a knife from the knife block stored in a cabinet he almost couldn't reach (they'd probably wanted to keep it out of Regulus's reach).

James nodded. "Smart."

Severus returned the nod and handed James a small blade.

"Sirius?" Lily suddenly said. "Didn't Regulus say he was being held in a basement?"

They followed her gaze to an old, creaky door, and when Sirius opened it, sure enough, a staircase led into darkness.

"You're a genius, Lily," he told her.

Scanning the ceiling, he finally reached up and pulled on a string that dangled from a light bulb above their heads. The light flickered to life, casting a hazy light that dimly lit the stairwell, making the shadows even more prominent.

Sirius glanced at the group, some of his bravo fading; he'd been so confident. He was going to find Reggie and they were going to get out of here and back home, but staring down into the depths of the basement...

What would he find? A body? Bodies, as in plural? A collection of weapons? A torture chamber? None of the above?

The not knowing was weighing on him.

He wanted to find Regulus, but he didn't want to find him in a puddle of blood or hacked nearly to pieces or tortured beyond belief, and he certainly didn't want to see Regulus's eyes glazed over with death.

He forced himself to take a single step down the stairs. If he wanted to find Regulus, he'd have to be prepared to see things he didn't want to see. If there was even a chance that his baby brother was alive down there, he was willing to risk his innocence.

Still, he made sure to stay in the lead. He was willing to risk being traumatized for his brother, but the same was not true for his friends. If there was something awful down there, he wanted to see it before his friends and stop them before their eyes could rest on any truly horrible sights.

Sixteen steps, all painted a pale blue with cracked paint and scuff marks. Shadows danced across the tan walls on either side, reminding Sirius of a horror movie.

The question was... when was the bad guy going to leap out?

Sirius ducked to avoid hitting his head as he stepped into the room at the bottom of the staircase.

No bodies, living or dead. No weapons, unless you counted the tools hanging on one wall. No torture chamber. Just shelves of miscellaneous items from sleeping bags to old totes to dusty knickknacks.

The only thing that stood out was the door. It was on the far wall, resting between two shelves; it was a heavy, steel door with a lock on the front, much like the front door of an average house.

Sirius took a deep breath, coughing at the musty air that entered his lungs, before fishing a bobby pin out of his pocket ( **being a prankster, trouble maker, and all around pain in the butt rule number 1:** always carry a bobby pin for picking locks).

He threw open the door and froze.

The room was small and made of concrete with scratches on the walls that looked frighteningly like tally marks. There was a white basin in one corner, and a dirty, blood stained mattress in the other.

On top of that mattress lay Regulus Arcturus Black... not that he looked much like him at that point.

Regulus had lost quite a lot of weight in only four days; he hadn't been fed much, if at all. His clothes were so ripped and torn that they could barely be considered clothes anymore. Scratches, cuts, and lesions decorated his entire body, staining Regulus's unnaturally pale skin blue, black, purple, and red. His hair was matted with dirt and blood, and his ankle was swollen; Sirius didn't have to be a doctor to know that it was broken. His eyes were glazed after; he'd undoubtedly been drugged.

Sirius sprinted across the floor, nearly slipping in some blood, and skidded to a stop beside Regulus, kneeling at his side.

"Reg?" He whispered. "Reggie, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you understand me."

Sirius grabbed his baby brother's hand and forced Regulus to latch onto Sirius's hand.

Regulus whimpered, as though the action costed him a lot of energy, and weakly applied pressure to Sirius's fingers.

Sirius smiled. "Good. Good. That's good. We're going to get you out of here. Okay, Reggie?"

Reggie smiled, ever so slightly.

"Stay very still, Reggie," Sirius murmured to him before grabbing him around the waist and tossing him over his shoulder as gently as possible.

Reggie groaned in pain, but he didn't complain further. In fact, they could've sworn he was still smiling, despite the pain and the haze of the drugs.

Sirius raced over to the doorway, beckoning for his friends to follow him as he sprinted up the steps.

The group on his heels, Sirius weaved between trees, plowing straight through thin branches and snapping them off. Their feet slapped against the ground, and Sirius could see the gate (they'd used Alohormora to get it open the first time before replacing the lock to avoid suspicion).

As soon as the gate came into sight, James withdrew his wand from his pocket and fired two charms toward the gate. The lock clicked open with the first spell, and the chain and lock tumbled to the earth with the second.

So close... almost there... a few more meters.

"Get back here, you little brats!" An angry voice echoed through the woods and what might have been a dart rushed past Sirius's head, barely brushing his hair.

Regulus whimpered. "Trent," he whispered, and if his head hadn't been so close to Sirius's ear, Sirius would've passed it off as a sigh.

Another dart embedded itself in the tree beside Sirius.

"Don't let... darts hit you," Regulus slurred.

Sirius vaguely wondered what was in the darts and if that was what had done this to Regulus. If the dart caused his brother's drugged state, Sirius agreed: don't get hit by the darts.

"He's mine!" The man screamed, sounding like a toddler that had lost his toy.

Sirius felt Regulus tremble.

"Not on my watch," he growled.

"Keep running!" Severus shouted, as if they needed to be told that.

The group sprinted faster; their speed was reaching an impossible one, and they wouldn't be able to keep it up for long.

"Do any of you know how to send a Patronous?" Sirius asked, his question nearly lost in the wind.

"No!" Several shouts rang out.

Of course. No one.

The crazy idea struck Sirius out of no where, and while it was way out there, Sirius Black was known for his crazy ideas.

"Reg, are you strong enough to do magic?" Sirius demanded as another dart whizzed past.

"Yeah..."

"Sirius, you don't think an eleven year old could cast a Patronous, do you?" James asked.

"Especially after what he just went through?" Remus added.

Sirius ignored them and handed Regulus his wand.

Regulus raised it.

Sirius had saved him... Sirius was always there for him, he thought.

It took a moment to find a happy memory in the midst of all the bad ones, currently swimming in his head, but finally, he grasped one of him and Sirius and their parents when he was younger. They'd gone to the park, and they'd been a happy family... before all the drugs and fighting and drinking came into play.

Regulus focused on that memory and raised the wand.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He shouted with as much conviction as he could muster.

A huge black dog (looked kind of like a grim, but Regulus tried not to think of it like that) erupted from his wand, prancing and running beside them without a care in the world.

Everyone except for Sirius's jaw dropped.

"James, I'm sending it to your dad. Tell him where we are and that we need help," Sirius ordered, tripping as a dart skimmed the top of his head.

James didn't ask questions, thankfully.

"Dad, we're at Georgon Animal Sanctuary. We need help!" James screamed as a dart missed him by centimeters.

"Benjamin Potter!" Sirius yelled at the Patronous, who scampered off, disappearing in a streak of silvery light.

Suddenly, hands grabbed him from behind, yanking him backward and causing the Black brothers to sprawl across the ground. Twigs scraped Sirius's back, and his skin itched from the grass beneath him; pebbles bit into his bare arms. Something wet and sticky dripped down his forehead, and his head ached like someone had wacked it a few times with a crowbar.

Yelling. Something black hovering above his body, the object too blurry to identify.

More yelling, and people were leaping over Sirius's body; the kidnapper squealed as five bodies slammed into him, simultaneously.

Sirius's eyes focused, slightly, and for a moment, he saw his unconscious baby brother lying mere feet away, blood staining the leaves beneath his head.

Then, he didn't see anything at all.

* * *

"Potter, calm down!"

"My son is missing, Moody, and you're telling me to calm down? That's hilarious!"

"Lieutenant, maybe you should-"

"No, Shacklebolt! They only thing I should do is find my son!"

"Potter, if you don't calm down, I will have your head on a silver platter. Do you hear me?"

"Mr. Crouch, Mr. Potter is stress-"

"Look!"

All the Aurors whirled around to see a Patronous- a large dog that resembled a Grim- bound into the office.

It halted before Benjamin Potter and opened its mouth.

"Dad, we're at Georgon Animal Sanctuary. We need help!" James's voice shouted.

The yell was followed by a short scream before the Patronous vanished in a whirl of silver mist.

"That's convenient," Moody muttered.

"Potter, we need to do this rationally. We can't just drop everything, and-"

"If you want to fire me, Crouch, you know where to find me, but for now, move out!" Potter shouted.

The Aurors disappeared in a series of Cracks! (The Aurors office was one of the only places you could Apparate in the Ministry)

Crouch sighed, but he didn't try to stop him. After all, he would've done the same thing for his son ( _Barty hasn't gone to Hogwarts yet)._

Therefore, he closed his eyes and turned the other way. If anyone asks, he was in his office and saw nothing.

* * *

 _Regulus can cast a Patronous? And his Patronous is the same as Sirius's Animagus form? What is this?_

 _(That's for me to know and you to find out. *Evil laugh*)_


	12. Avoiding the Future

_Hello, my readers. Shall we begin?_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: NONE_**

* * *

Agh, it was too white. Everything from the floor to the ceiling was a pristine white, polished and shining.

Sirius groaned and covered his eyes, trying to blink away the dark spots from his vision; he'd never been blinded by the color white before, but now, he never wanted to experience that again.

Seriously, who picks white as the sole color of a room? Only hospitals do that!

Sirius shook his head, trying to get his brain back on track.

Focus, Sirius. You don't know where you are; get out now, and criticize the bloody room later, he scolded himself.

"Siri?" A small voice whispered.

Sirius spun around and found his baby brother facing him. Regulus looked like he had on the day he'd been kidnapped, devoid of bruises, injuries, blood, and the drugged haze that had clouded his eyes.

"Where are we?" Regulus asked, his voice shaking with anxiety as he glanced at their unfamiliar surroundings.

"REGGIE!" Sirius shouted, ignoring the question.

Sirius swooped his baby brother into an embrace and swung him around, crying with relief and thanking God and Merlin and the entire universe for bringing his baby brother home.

"I missed you so much," Sirius sobbed.

"I missed you, too, Siri, but your hug is making it kind of hard to breathe."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Sirius reluctantly rested his brother on the ground and took him by the shoulders, scanning the boy's body for injuries.

"You okay?" He finally asked, having found nothing.

Regulus nodded. "Yeah. No pain, no blood. It just all disappeared."

Sirius pursed his lips. "That's strange. I'm glad you're okay, but... how?"

Regulus shrugged. "I don't know."

"It doesn't matter right now," Sirius decided. "What matters is that you're safe."

"Are we?" Regulus asked. "I mean, we don't know where we are."

Sirius saw the logic in that as he glanced around, searching the room for something. Anything.

There was nothing. Four white walls. Two uninjured boys. There wasn't a window or even a door.

Sirius's heart beat faster. They were trapped.

Sirius walked over to the walls and began running his hands over them, searching for a button, a crack, a hole, something that meant there was a way out of here. There had to be one. After all, how did they get them in here if there was no way in?

Nonetheless, he came up empty handed.

He cursed under his breath.

"Nothing?" Regulus questioned as he, too, began searching the walls for an escape.

Sirius started pounding the walls in frustration, kicking them and hollering to be released from the room or cell or whatever it was.

Finally, he sighed and walked over to Regulus, who was still running his hands over the walls, although his posture was more hopeless than before.

Sirius touched Regulus's shoulder, and Regulus leapt out of his skin, backing against the wall.

The elder withdrew his hand, staring at his brother in confusion and horror and sympathy.

Regulus exhaled, shakily, before pushing himself away from the wall and standing up straighter.

"S-Sor-Sorry," he stammered.

Sirius nodded in understanding. "It's okay, baby brother."

Regulus inhaled, deeply, through his nose and released it, slowly, in an attempt to calm down.

"So there's really no way out?" He muttered.

Sirius nodded, "If there was, we would've found it by now."

Regulus nodded before his face suddenly paled twenty shades.

"Siri," he said, staring at a fixed point on the wall.

Sirius glanced around and found nothing unusual (besides, you know, everything), so he turned back to his brother.

"What is it, Reggie?" He asked, placing an arm around the younger boy and drawing the trembling body into a one armed embrace.

"Siri... are we dead?"

Sirius froze. He hadn't even considered that.

Regulus's injuries could've killed him, without a doubt; he may even have been overdosed. Sirius had smacked his head against a rock; what if the impact was even harder than he believed it to be?

Oh, God.

One more question: if they were dead, what was with the room? That was one thing that didn't make any sense with that theory.

"I can assure you you're not dead."

Both boys leaped about three feet in the air as they turned to face the woman.

She was in her twenties with pale skin, and blonde curls spilled over her shoulder. She wore a knee length blue dress, and her feet were bare. She smiled, brightly, and her teeth were so white, they shined upon them like neon lights. Her eyes were silver with a pale film covering them. The woman was blind.

She looked fairly normal... except for the fact that she'd just appeared out of nowhere. There was no crack of apparition. No thump as she landed on the ground after being released from a Port key. She just... appeared.

"Who are you?" Sirius demanded, pulling Regulus closer to him.

Instead of answering his question, she turned to Regulus and inclined her head.

"You're Fate," Regulus murmured.

Sirius turned to him in confusion. How did Regulus know?

"Ever since I was taken, she's been appearing in my dreams," Regulus explained. "She'd just... be there. She's never spoken until now."

"Indeed I did," Fate said, smiling gently upon Regulus. "Come with me, children. I have something to show you."

Sirius was about to ask where they were going (and how, considering they couldn't leave the room), but Fate was already strolling forward. She walked to the other side of the room and crossed her forearms in an X before parting them, leaving them open.

The wall vanished, and Sirius and Regulus followed her into the other room, their hands locked, tightly.

They hesitantly passed through the doorway and found themselves standing in... Regulus's nursery?

It was the same as Sirius remembered. A crib in the center of the room, a changing table, and a dresser occupied the small room; Regulus had been born premature, so they hadn't gotten around to buying anything else for his room.

Two year old Sirius leaned over the edge of the crib, standing on a stool to do so. His eyes sparkled as he gazed at the tiny baby in the crib, who was currently half asleep.

Sirius smiled, slightly. He remembered this...

"Sirius, you have loved Regulus since day one, and Regulus has loved you. But you got lost along the way," Fate stated, sadly.

Their surroundings morphed into the living room of Grimmauld Place; three year old Regulus was sitting in the middle of the floor, smiling happily, as he played with his favorite teddy bear.

Suddenly, Sirius stomped up to Regulus and yanked the toy from the toddler's grasp. He smiled at the bear before storming away from his wailing baby brother, even when Regulus called his name.

The surrounding area changed again; this time, to the Gryffindor common room.

Eleven year old Sirius stood in the empty room, gazing at a stack of letters in his grasp; they were all labeled 'To: Siri, From: Reggie' and there were even stickers on a few envelopes.

Sirius glanced at them one last time before chucking them into the fireplace, watching as the envelopes curled in on themselves, blackening first at the edges before dissolving into ash.

James called for Sirius, and Sirius's face broke into a grin as he turned and headed for the dorm room, where the sound of laughter echoed from.

Sirius blushed in shame, and he hugged Regulus tighter to show that he still cared about him, even though he'd made tons of mistakes in the past.

The common room became the train station, where Sirius was glaring at Regulus.

"Now, go, and don't wander off," he was saying.

Regulus grumbled and walked towards the water fountains while Sirius turned the opposite way in search of his mates.

"Yet you came through. You dropped everything to save your brother, your best friend," Fate said.

The surroundings changed to display the tiny room Regulus had been kept in.

Regulus trembled, and Sirius huddled close to him, wanting to protect his brother. Those men that took Regulus would get Sirius's baby brother over his dead body.

Sirius was kneeling over a semi-conscious Regulus in the corner, grasping the smaller hand in his own.

The room vanished, replaced by trees and a blue sky above their heads.

Sirius and Regulus were both sprawled on the ground; Sirius had a deep cut on his forehead. Both were swimming in a sea of darkness.

"You see," Fate suddenly spoke, "in this world, it was different."

All of a sudden, they were standing on the Hogwarts Express, and Sirius was glaring at Regulus, who was sitting in a compartment.

"Regulus, I told you not to wander off!" Image Sirius shouted. "I could've gotten in so much trouble!"

"That never happened," the real Sirius pointed out.

"But in another world, it did, there are multiple universes, and in this one," Fate pointed at their surroundings, "Regulus was never kidnapped. Therefore, you never became closer. If anything, you drifted father apart."

The surroundings started changing faster, like fast forward on a movie screen.

Regulus sorted into Slytherin, and Sirius yelling at him for 'being just like their parents'...

A handful of fist fights the two were involved in...

Hexes, arguments, disagreements, and so much more...

And then...

In a Hogwarts hallway, Sirius faced a sixteen year old Regulus, who was boring holes into the ground whether than meeting the elder's eyes.

"I hate you!" Image Sirius cried. "Why don't you just join the Death Eaters already? I'm sure Mum and Dad will be so proud of their wittle Reggiekins," Sirius mocked before storming away.

The next image displayed Regulus getting branded with the Dark Mark, and Sirius wrapped an arm around his brother, who'd begun to shiver.

The next image appeared, and Sirius almost got sick.

Regulus was struggling against hundreds of rotting, dead hands (Inferi, Sirius realized in horror), and he tossed a locket to shore. The locket was caught by an extremely pale and trembling and sobbing Kreacher.

"I order you to go!" Regulus shouted. "Destroy the locket! Tell no one in the family about it!"

Kreacher let loose one last sob before he vanished with a pop.

As soon as Kreacher disappeared, Regulus stopped struggling.

In fact, he smiled as he was pulled under.

His last word: "Siri."

If Sirius hadn't been trying to stay strong for his baby brother, he would've broken down into tears.

And finally...

A nineteen year old Regulus and a thirty-six year old Sirius embracing before walking into a bright light, laughing and smiling.

"This future can be avoided. Regulus was kidnapped to show Sirius that he still needs him. Regulus, you will not come out of this ordeal unscathed, but with help from your older brother, you can heal."

A bright light filled the entire room, blinding the brothers, before everything went dark.

* * *

 _Not my favorite chapter, but still very important. Thanks for reading!_


	13. The Hospital

_Chapter 13!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

When Sirius Black opened his eyes, he was once again faced with an utterly white room. The walls were white; the tiled floor was white; even the blanket he was under was white.

Sirius blinked a few times, trying to get his bearings.

He was obviously in a hospital and for good reason. An IV was stuck in his elbow, pumping clear fluid into his body. Tubes slithered over his body like snakes, and there was a sharp pang in his stomach. A dull ache had settled in his skull, making the room fuzzy; the bright lights only made the ache worse. His back throbbed, and something warm trickled down his skin.

Sirius stopped focusing on the pain and looked at himself, trying to see if the injuries were worse than the pain was telling him or better.

His arm was in a cast, and he was wearing a hospital gown. When Sirius shifted, he felt something rub against his torso: bandages. Slowly, he lifted the hand that wasn't in a cast and touched it to his forehead, where his fingers met the slightly rough patch that covered the left side of his forehead.

"Sirius?" A familiar voice whispered, and a hand touched his shoulder. Sirius jumped and spun around to face... his father.

"Dad? Dad!" Sirius cried, tossing himself into his father's arms.

Immediately, he regretted it. Pain spread through his body; the ache in his head intensified, and the sharp pain in his stomach screamed in agony. His back sang a hundred different harmonies of pain. His arm suddenly went numb and tingled under the cast.

Sirius gasped in pain as he collapsed backwards, his elbows hitting the mattress to avoid slamming his back against it.

"Be careful, Sirius," his father instructed. "We almost lost you once; we can't risk losing you for real."

Sirius nodded, and he allowed his father to rest his hands on Sirius's shoulders and gently lower Sirius back onto the bed.

Sirius breathed in, deeply, trying to rid his body of the burning sensation that raced through his veins.

As the dark spots vanished from his vision, he noticed that his father and him weren't the only ones in the room.

"Mum? What am I doing here?" Sirius mumbled, trying to focus on her, although his vision remained blurry at the edges.

His parents exchanged worried glances, but before either could say a word, it all came rushing back.

Reggie getting kidnapped...

Joining forces with Lily, Severus, Peter, James, and Remus...

Jumping off the Hogwarts Express to search for his brother...

The mirror conversation...

Finding Reggie...

Running with him...

Sending the Patronous...

Getting tossed to the ground and a searing pain in his head before darkness engulfed his vision...

White... Fate... avoid the future...

Sirius bolted right back up, but this time, he was able to completely ignore the pain in order to ask the question that circulated through his mind...

"Where's Reggie?" He demanded.

"He's right down the hall, Sirius," his father said, attempting and failing to push Sirius back to the mattress.

Regulus needed him!

Sirius's mind was a jumble of anxiety and paranoia and memories, and he couldn't focus on anything except for the crushing apprehension that enveloped him.

All of a sudden, he couldn't breathe. His heart was pounding, and he felt sick; he was sweating and shivering at the same time. It was as though he were still running from The Man. Fear coursed through his body, and adrenaline began pumping through his system.

"I wanna see Reggie," Sirius choked out.

"Sirius, you need to get your strength back first," his father said, sternly. "Now, I need you to calm down."

"No! He needs me! I wanna see him!" Sirius screamed.

He was battling against his dad, thrashing and screeching and punching whatever he could reach.

Didn't they understand? The Man would come back, and he'd take Reggie, and Sirius had to be there for him.

He wouldn't fail him. Not again.

Hands were holding him down, trying to stop Sirius's struggles. Sirius was screaming so loud, the yelling was heard on the other side of the hospital.

"Sirius, calm down!" His father shouted.

Sirius shook his head, and his struggles only intensified.

The Man was coming back. He'd hurt Reggie; he'd kill him. Sirius couldn't let that happen. He absolutely refused.

More than one set of hands was present now. Men and women wearing white (nurses or doctors, probably) were standing around his bed; they were doing things Sirius couldn't comprehend, but he knew he couldn't let it happen.

A needle appeared in his view, and Sirius fought harder. He'd seen what drugs did to Reggie; if he let them drug him, too, who would save Regulus?

"We need to sedate him!" An unfamiliar voice shouted.

A face appeared above him: a man with black hair and brown eyes was gazing down at him.

"No!" Sirius begged. "No!"

He was sobbing so hard, they couldn't even understand him anymore.

The sharp needle pricked his arm, and at first, it burned; after a few moments, though, Sirius felt his movements become sluggish. He was relaxing against his will, and he felt his entire body become still. All he wanted to do was sleep...

But he couldn't sleep. He had to save... Regulus...

Sirius fought against the sedative with all he had, but in the end, he still lost.

* * *

When Sirius awakened, his parents were gone, and someone else had taken their place. James, covered in bruises and wearing a cast on his right arm, smiled from the chair beside Sirius's bed.

"James," Sirius smiled, weakly, still weighed down by the aftermath of the sedative. "Are the others all right?"

"That is so like you," James chuckled, throwing his head back and surprising the boy in the bed. "Worrying about other people when you're the one who's been knocked out for three days."

"Three days?!" Sirius cried.

He attempted to sit up, but when he reached for something to support him, he found nothing and fell back to the mattress. Frustrated, he pounded against the white sheets, groaning.

James simply laughed. "Yeah. When they sedated you, they expected you to wake up in a few hours or even a day, but apparently, the shock was still weighing you down," James told him, his smile turning into a frown. "And if you really want to know, the others are fine. Severus cracked a few ribs, and he'd be here, but the nurses sentenced him to bed rest for at least a week. Lily sprained an ankle, and she'd be right here, but her mom said she can't leave the house until she got some decent sleep. Remus has a nasty cut on his forehead, but it's healing, nicely; he's down in the cafeteria with Peter. Peter broke three fingers and dislocated a shoulder, but he's doing much better."

"And... Reggie?" Sirius asked, not meeting James's eyes. He really wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. "How's he doing?"

Right away, Sirius knew it wasn't good. James's eyes were focused on the floor, not on Sirius.

James hesitated before sighing. "I don't know, Sir. They won't let anyone see him."

Sirius leaned back against the pillows, feeling his heart rate pick up. Panic was already gripping his body in a vice grip, but before Sirius could freak out, he had more questions to ask.

The doctors weren't letting anyone see Reggie, not even family. That only happened when things weren't looking good.

"If my parents aren't with Reggie, then... where are they?" Sirius asked.

A part of him wanted to know the answer, and another didn't, but there was a small area in the back of his mind that was telling him that he already knew the answer. He just didn't want to admit it.

James shrugged, pursing his lips and staring at his lap. His hands twisted around each other, dancing in his lap; it was an old nervous habit of his, and Sirius almost wished that he hadn't asked. Almost.

"My dad's friend saw your dad in a bar last night," James finally answered. "I don't think your mom's left the house since you were sedated. A few of your other relatives dropped in, but they only stayed in shifts."

Sirius nodded, having expected this.

His dad was trying to forget by chugging beer and wine and whiskey until he couldn't stand straight. His mom was seeking a paradise that didn't exist by swallowing pills and smoking Merlin knows what. Forgetting was the only thing that kept them sane; Sirius could understand that, even if he didn't like it.

But Sirius couldn't forget. He remembered the future fate had shown them; he wasn't going to allow that to happen. Not in this life or the next or the one after that.

As Sirius tried to swallow the information, guilt began overtaking him. He'd caused this. If he'd only looked out for Reggie, none of this would've happened.

But what about changing fate? A small voice whispered in the back of Sirius's mind.

Sirius didn't know what to feel anymore.

As though reading his mind, a hand touched his shoulder, and James narrowed his eyes in a strict manner that reminded Sirius oddly of a father.

"Sirius Orion Black, don't even try to blame yourself," James stated, sternly. "If it weren't for you, Regulus would be dead. Your parents made their choices; you can't control what they do."

"But if I had just watched out for Reggie, then we wouldn't even be in this mess!" Sirius bawled.

"Sirius, you didn't know that that man was going to do that. There is evil in this world, and you can't protect Regulus from it forever," James pointed out.

Sirius offered a watery smile. "When did you get so deep, Jamie?"

James shrugged. "I have no idea, but don't worry. I'm still the immature toe rag that you know and love."

Sirius chuckled. "Toe rag? You're hanging out with Lily too much."

James nodded. "And I am more than okay with that."

"Jamie's got a crush!" Sirius sing songed, his voice breaking due to his dry throat.

James punched Sirius in the arm, making sure to be gentle.

"Shut up," he laughed.

For a moment, the room was quiet before Sirius finally made the request.

"Hey, James, could I be alone for a second?"

James nodded in understanding. "Of course. I'll go meet Rem and Pete down in the cafeteria, and we'll come back in an hour or two. We'll bring you something to eat. Whatever is in those tubes cannot be appetizing."

Sirius nodded, chuckling. "Thanks. And James, if you... you know... hear anything..."

"You'll be the first to know," James assured him.

James headed for the door, glancing over his shoulder, nervously, as though he was worried Sirius might do something. He was right to worry.

After the door shut, Sirius counted to thirty before slipping out of the bed and leaving the room in search of his little brother.

* * *

 _This was more of a filler chapter, but still, REVIEW!_


	14. Long Road Ahead of Them

_The final chapter is here._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

Sirius knew it was a bad idea, sneaking around a gigantic hospital in search of one person with your family and friends around every corner, but he couldn't help it. Last time he checked, Regulus was bleeding, mentally unstable, unconscious, and drugged with who knows what. Sirius had to see for himself that his baby brother was safe and sound.

The elder brother crept along the hallway, sticking close to the wall and trying to act normal. The bandage wrapped around his torso rubbed uncomfortably against the wound on his back, and every time he took a step, his fractured ribs were jostled. A migraine was quickly disorienting him, but Sirius refused to stop. Unless he lost the ability to move, he would continue walking until he found his baby brother.

The floor swayed under his feet, and the walls tilted, but he absolutely refused to stop. Regulus was close; Sirius could feel it.

Door after door was peaked through. A man struggling against the restraints tying him to the bed...

"They're coming for me!" He screamed. "The cl-clowns. They have snakes, and they're g-going to kill me!"

"The clowns and the snakes are not after you," his nurse stated, calmly. "It's time for your medication, Ben."

"No! You're trying to poison me!"

Sirius quickly shut the door.

The next room held an unconscious or sleeping middle aged woman with blonde hair. She had blood dripping down her forehead, and a nurse was cleaning the blood away while a doctor set out instruments to heal the wound.

In the third room, a teenage girl with auburn, wavy hair cried as she cradled her wrist to her chest. Blood soaked it, and bruises stained her skin from wrist to elbow. The bone was sticking out.

Sirius shut the door and fought down the urge to vomit at the mere sight of it. Wrists were not supposed to look like that...

In the fourth room, there was a little boy...

It was Reggie without a doubt, but Sirius could hardly tell with all the medical gear. Strolling over to the bundle of tubes, Sirius counted three in his stomach, one in each arm, and one in his mouth. Blood, clear fluid, and an orangish liquid (probably some kind of medicine) was being pumped into his baby brother. Bandages mummified him, and he was covered in cuts and scratches and lesions. A jagged line of stitches stretched painfully across his forehead.

Sirius fell to his knees, ignoring the arctic cold that seeped through his hospital gown, and wiped a smear of crimson from Reggie's lip. He let out a silent sob at the sight of his baby brother- who he'd vowed to protect- lying in a hospital bed.

As if sensing his brother beside him, Regulus stirred and murmured, "Siri?"

"I'm right here, Reg, and I'm not going anywhere," Sirius promised. "I won't leave you. Never again."

Sirius crawled into the chair beside his younger sibling and rested his head on Regulus's stomach, carefully avoided the tubes. He promptly passed out.

* * *

"Should we move him or wake him up and make him leave?" A harsh woman's voice interrupted his previously undisturbed sleep.

"Nah, let him sleep. Besides, we've had to sedate the younger one three times, and he actually looks remotely peaceful. He needs that," a kind man's voice said, going from a light chuckle to a much darker tone.

"The older one needs it, too."

"Trust me, they've got a long road ahead of them. I just pray that they're strong enough to survive it."

A door opened and closed, and footsteps faded into the distance. As soon as they were gone, Sirius slipped back into slumber.

* * *

He was standing in the woods, alone save for the birds and the trees. His heart thundered in his chest; his breath left his lips in short, quick gasps that didn't give him enough of the oxygen he so desperately needed.

A man crashed through the trees, a man he knew well. The man smiled an awful grin.

"You're gonna pay, you little brat," he chuckled, cruelly.

He broke into a sprint, dodging trees left and right. He was quickly tiring, and as he teetered on the edge of collapse, he paused to lean over, his hands on his knees, and spit out a mixture of water, blood, and stomach acid.

"Siri?" A tentative voice sounded from nearby.

"Reggie?" He choked as he straightened back up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Reggie!"

"Siri! Siri, help me, please!" The desperate screech sliced through the dense woods, like a knife through butter.

Sirius continued to race, bolting from area to area in search of a small boy with black hair and gray eyes so much like his own.

"Reggie! Reggie, please!"

Sirius waited for an answer, but there was only the sound of running footsteps chasing him and Sirius's own raspy breathing.

"Re-AHHH!"

There, suspended from a tree branch, was his baby brother. Not that he looked anything like him at that moment.

His black hair, usually neatly combed and shiny and beautiful, was now matted with blood and mud, tangled into one massive knot. Pale and practically scratched to pieces, his skin was a deathly shade of white. His silver eyes gazed at Sirius in accusation as he swung back and forth on the rope that bound him by his neck to the tree branch.

"REGGIE!" Sirius cried in agonizing grief.

"Your fault," the voices hissed. They were coming from all directions, invading his mind with their snake like hissing. "All your fault."

"No! Please!"

"YOUR FAULT!"

"NO! Reggie, don't leave me! Please..."

"Your fault."

Sirius Black was left with only the voices and himself. His worst enemy.

* * *

Sirius screamed as he bolted awake. People were rushing in and out of his vision; Sirius didn't know who they were, nor did he care. His little brother was dead, and it was all his fault. Didn't any of them care about that?

"Sirius!"

Was that James? Why would he want to speak to Sirius? After all, Sirius killed Reggie and almost got James, Lily, Peter, Severus, and Remus killed. Sirius wouldn't forgive himself, so why would James?

"Son!"

Dad? Sirius practically murdered his baby brother, even if he wasn't the one that put his head through the noose. Why would his parents ever want to talk to him again?

"Kid, calm down!"

Uncle Alphard? What was he doing here?

"Sirius, calm down."

Remus...

"We need to sedate him," an unfamiliar voice stated.

Apparently, someone else had a different idea. Arms supported Sirius behind his back and under his knees before he was lifted up bridal style. People were protesting, but whoever was carrying him either didn't notice or didn't care.

White hallways flashed in his vision; walls were stretching toward the ceiling above his head. Other objects and people passed through his blurred vision before Sirius was finally placed in a white chair.

His hand brushed against another, even more familiar than his own. He inhaled the scent of his baby brother and started crying. His hand was warm under Sirius's; he was alive.

Sieius rested his head on Regulus's stomach, which fell evenly with his breathing.

"Reggie," he sobbed. "Reggie."

Only then did he fully understand what the doctor meant by 'a long road ahead of them.'

* * *

The next several weeks were spent attending therapy for PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder... a fancy term for the word traumatized) and separation anxiety (pretty self explanatory, considering Sirius couldn't stand being away from Reggie for more than a few hours).

He had so many medications, he actually wondered if it was healthy. Anxiety medication, antidepressants, something to help him sleep, appetite inducer (considering Sirius had almost no appetite), tranquilizers for panic attacks, and too many more to count. And this wasn't even mentioning the potions; that was just the pills.

Sirius wasn't attending Hogwarts at the moment. His school work was sent home, but no one pushed him to do it. He was anxious enough without piling school on top of everything else; still, Sirius did the work to distract him. He'd often do all his work while sitting with Reggie, who was now comatose (apparently, the drugs were still in his system and mixing it with medications at the hospital had resulted in a coma).

Sirius had settled into a schedule during the past few weeks, but it was more like going through the motions than anything.

Three AM- wake up in bed, no matter where he went to sleep (courtesy of his dad), and stare at the ceiling until the sunrise had passed.

Eight AM- pull himself out of bed and take his morning meds (anxiety, antidepressants, appetite inducer, and an energy potion since he no longer had the energy to get through the day)

Eight thirty AM- pick at his breakfast and ignore the concerned glances of his parents until he can escape the table

Nine AM- look through the messages on his phone and the two way mirror and seeing well over a dozen, but not answering any

Ten AM- get dressed and Floo to St. Mungos to see Reggie

Noon- take his 'lunch time' meds, as his therapist calls them (appetite inducer, anxiety medication, and a potion to suppress flashbacks)

One PM- claim he's not hungry and brush off the begs from his parents to eat something

One thirty to three thirty PM- spent at Reggie's bedside

Four PM- attend therapy session with Dr. Martin

Five thirty PM- take his 'dinner' meds (Once again, labeled by the therapist). These include appetite inducer and antidepressants

Six PM- muddle through dinner and try to eat a meal, even though he feels sick after a couple of bites

Seven PM- 'bed time' meds, including a sleep potion, a dreamless potion, and insomnia treatment (to regulate the wake and sleep chemicals in his brain)

Try to sleep without dreaming. Wake up. Do it all again tomorrow.

It was a never ending cycle. That is, until someone decided to break the circle.

It was Saturday, and Sirius's family was down in the cafe, eating lunch; Sirius was at Regulus's bed side, having chosen to spend time with his brother rather than eating.

His baby brother had been comatose for two weeks now, and nothing Sirius or the doctors did could wake him up.

Sirius Black was almost asleep with his head resting on his brother's chest, listening to the soft beating of Regulus's heart under his ear. His tears soaked the sheets covering Reggie's form, and sobs racked his frame.

Hopelessness was seeping in. Sirius Black was optimistic, hopeful, and always looked on the bright side of things, but now... he wasn't sure if there _was_ a bright side.

A hand patted him on the head.

"Don't cry, Siri," a small voice rasped.

Sirius froze, thinking that there was no way. He slowly raised his head.

"R-Reg?" He stammered.

"Hey," Regulus replied, casually.

Sirius's eyes met Regulus's, which were open and filled with confusion.

"Why are you crying?" The younger boy asked.

"I thought we lost you," Sirius responded before throwing himself at Regulus and bawling into his bony chest.

Regulus wanted to ask what was going on and why he was so sleepy, but he decided not to. He'd missed his brother; he'd missed him since he'd been kidnapped and had missed him even more in the darkness he'd fallen into for what felt like forever. They were together again; that was what mattered.

They were together again, and nothing, not even the universe itself, would pull them apart.

* * *

 _There will eventually be a sequel. I do not know when it will be posted or how long it will be, but I will post a chapter for this story informing you as soon as the sequel is up._

 _Thanks for reading! Tell me what you thought._


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